Brothers Revisited
by narutokid239
Summary: A what if story answering the question "What if Minato and Kushina had two sons?" Pre-Naruto AU.
1. Brother's Revisited Prologue

**This decision came after much deliberation (and a multi-year break) but I've decided to rewrite my story of "Brothers". Basically I felt the character I hade was too weak and needed more depth. After a painstaking reimagining I felt I have done that and would like to reintroduce "Norio Uzumaki Namikaze". Also this story is a prologue that will detail his early years before I make a massive time jump into the first Naruto series. There will be smaller timeskips within this story to help progress it. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I have writing it.**

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><p><strong>Alpha<strong>

"_I remember a time when things were a little bit brighter." – Fire Lord Azulon_

"Do you see the sun irradiating warm rays that seem to cover every inch of Fire Country in a comforting embrace?" said a voice rich in wisdom, it was youthful yet carried a certain weight about it that ensured you it was not the ramblings of a fool, "The air is neither stifling nor bogged down by an overabundance of humidity instead managing to maintain the ideal balance of temperature and moisture. Birds chirp pleasantly with one another tickling the air with a sanguine tone."

"There are all manner of creatures, big and small, scurry across the mossy forest floor prancing around as if motioning through an intricate dance of nature. These displays of earthly vitality provide the consummate example of the Hidden Leaf Village's harmonious relationship with its land." He continued talking to his listener with a passion that made him unaware of whether anyone was actually listening

"This near symbiotic kinship between the ninja establishment and terra firma estate was first formed when the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, used his terraqueous bloodline limit to "communicate" with the planet itself and give birth to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Ever since that time the terrene has given us whatever was in its immense power to aid in our growth by providing corpulent fruit, crisp, vegetables, and succulent meat." It would be easy to mistake his musings for rambling now, but an astute listener would know that this man understood the profound relationship between man and Earth

"Not a people to suffer from ingratitude the tenants of the Village repaid their debt by tending the land and protecting it with their lives whenever a threat arose."

The young man ceased his philosophical lecture on the affiliation between the macrocosm of the Earth and comparative microcosm that was his home. Peeking through one eye revealed the oceanic well of blue that sparkled with wisdom and knowledge far beyond his years. The light of the sun bounced off his golden locks seeming to cast a halo aglow from atop his head. Through his half opened eye he spied something that made him sigh lightly as he sat cross legged on the emerald floor.

"Norio, did you hear a word I just said?" he asked his voice expectant

Lying on his back, and throwing up a rock, before him with a red pant leg bent at the knee into an isosceles and the other stretched out restfully to the side. One of his hands were cupped behind his head and were being used as a pillow while he stared high into the aqua sky chewing so simply on a strand of straw.

Hearing his father's voice caused him to stir ever so slightly evidenced by his black sandal lowering to the side and his torso rising into an upright position to reveal a boy wearing a red closely fitted jacket with black stripes around the wrists and a charcoal t-shirt underneath. His face was young and innocent with features similar to the older man.

The rock was still in mid-air and gravity soon caused it to fall back down.

With no one to catch it the stone impacted the top of Norio's head with a barely noticeable thud that made the boy grimace in pain uttering a soft "Ow" whilst rubbing the sore spot of his cranium.

"Uh…yes. Father." He answered diminutively as the discomfort faded away turning his head to the side for a split second as he spoke

Cerulean orbs met azure globes as the son eyed the father or vice versa. In contrast to the lemon hue of Minato, Norio's hair repulsed all photons of light giving it an obsidian sheen marred by pieces of grass caught in the bristles of his hair. His face was one of blasé disposition causing a miniscule frown to form on the Fourth's face.

Due to vigilance Norio analyzed his father's limbic reactions and morphed the disenchanted expression into something more attentive. How effective this was remained questionable as Minato's face stayed tight as he crossed his arms over his chest. This prompted Norio to offer a nervous smile that revealed his bone-white teeth clenching the straw tighter in his mouth as his face wrinkled.

"Oh really?" Minato inquired as he raised his brow suspiciously, "Then you don't mind recounting to me what I just said?"

"Uuummm…" Norio trailed opening his mouth enough that the straw fell from his maw.

He sat candidly almost afraid to blink under his father's vexatious stare. He stiffly turned his head away from Minato settling on a sharp blade of grass as he brought his hand up, at a snail's pace, to scratch a nonexistent itch on his head.

"Well…you were talking about…the village." He spoke in a meek tone almost a whisper

"Go on." Minato urged so low only the two could hear it but with a potency that almost made Norio whimper

"Aaand you mentioned the First Hokage." He was speaking so slowly now that the blade of grass he'd been inspecting would grow several inches before he finished his next sentence

Minato's gaze cast off an invisible torridity that made Norio rub the back of his neck to rid himself of the thin layer of sweat that had appeared from his pores.

A light breeze blew, whistling inside his ear as it made the treetops sway and the grass ripple like newly disturbed water. It also served to provide a form of reprieve from the perforating stare of the Yellow Flash despite the brevity.

Minato watched as his son struggled to cobble together the scrambled bits of information that had actually managed to penetrate his shield of inattention. He lightly drummed his fingers into the bend of his arm as he waited patiently for his son to admit to his sin of distraction though he realized the likelihood of such a thing occurring was nil.

"Norio." He called causing the boy to spastically straighten his back and enlarge his eyes diverting all his focus to the Namikaze adopting an Indian style posture identical to his father's.

Minato couldn't help but notice the level of diligence that Norio was now showing after being subject to the "serious face".

"Norio, I know this isn't as fascinating as learning new jutsu, but it's important to realize—"

"The connection between the Village and its villagers but…." Norio finished for him before instantly bowing his head as if expecting punishment after he noticed the firm look he was receiving intensify.

"But, what?" Minato questioned with a little more harshness than what he meant to portray

This wasn't lost on Norio as he curved his head lower and curled his toes closely together while placing a protrusion of hair between his index and thumb and rubbing. His confidence had taken a dip as he answered with a mousy, "Nothing."

Minato breathed out audibly and closed his eyes momentarily. Norio took this time to stop his nervous habit and look up into his father's face which held soft features that seemed to be sculpted form a strange stone that was both hard and soft at the same time. Minato's eyes snapped open causing Norio to hastily avert his eyes to something less intimidating finally deciding on the ground itself.

Minato let out a steadied "Hmmm" as if inspecting his son then rubbing the bottom of his chin in a detective manner. Norio avoided his eyes while he began to play with his hair again.

"Show me your Rasengan." It was more of a statement than a request

Norio looked at Minato focusing on his forehead to avoid gazing into the wells of his eyes.

"B…but I'm not finished. I mean I haven't completely formed it yet." He stammered

Minato crossed his arms once more keeping the same bland expression, "It doesn't matter show me anyway." He said

Norio's face turned from one of apprehension to one of repressed terror. As he said he had yet to complete the technique his father had shown him almost a year ago.

His brow raised as his eyes increased in size and he could feel the wetness between his fingers and to top it off his chest cavity became a punching bag for his blood pumping organ. Throughout this little panic attack Minato stared at his eldest son unwaveringly, calmly waiting for him to do what he was asked.

Norio took a dry swallow that tickled his throat in an odd way giving the sensation of swallowing sandpaper. Inhaling a copious amount of air in a vain attempt to settle his chaotic mindset Norio prepared the technique.

He held out both hands with is right hand outstretched and the left palm hovering above it all ten fingers bent into the image of a claw. There was a veritable silence as Minato eyed his boy with a hawk-like leer and Norio mentally repeated the steps necessary to create the Rasengan.

This reiteration was two-fold: One, it helped to take his mind off of the anxiety of having his father visually scrutinize him and two it made performing the jutsu easier.

He could feel chakra being pulled toward the center of his palm like gravitational wormhole. It was balmy but pleasantly so feeling like he was holding a freshly baked biscuit. Having gathered the bare amount he began to rotate it in multiple directions. The nature of the chakra became wild when he did so trying to disperse in every which direction as if desiring a release from his manipulation.

This caused him to initiate the second step, power, by forcing the chakra into his palm and compressing it into the standard shape.

The entire process was similar to molding clay save for the fact that chakra was alive or at least behaved as such. It writhed and squirmed like a newborn babe always fighting desperately to be free and flow away. This rebellious nature was primarily what made the Rasengan such a difficult technique to master calling for precise control, smothering power and then unification of the two principles.

This final step was what proved elusive for Norio impeding his progress and stranding him with an incomplete jutsu.

Minato observed the spiraling ball of energy in Norio's palm. It was a deep shade of blue with a transparency about it. The orb was double-layered with a torrent of chakra caught in rotation outside a smaller sphere containing a spinning helix of bluish-white light. This particular appearance marked the completion of the initial two steps, but the absence of the most crucial.

Assuming his stance of examination, by placing his chin between his index and thumb, his eyes took in every minor detail. Everything from the speed of the rotation, the size of the Rasenga, and even the direction, nothing escaped his watchful eyes.

Unfortunately, this face made Norio self conscious as he could feel his father's eyes upon him. His own closed eyes squinted as he fought to keep them that way afraid that catching a glimpse of Minato's stare would break his focus and dispel the jutsu. He wasn't saying anything causing Norio to guess at what he was thinking.

Did he feel proud of his progress or disappointed in the lack thereof? With his birthday coming up next month it would be a year since he first taught him the jutsu, so was he disheartened? The possibility made Norio want to go hide in a dark corner.

"That's enough, Norio." Said Minato snapping Norio from his cycle of negative thoughts.

He stood up from his sitting position which left a discolored impression due to the amount of time he'd been still. Norio observed his father's face searching for any signs of disapproval or irritation, but found only stoicism. Norio, however, could not make the distinction and felt his lack of an expression was the same as a disconcerted one.

He lowered his head in sadness boring a hole into the ground while gripping his pant legs tightly. He felt like a failure, like he was unworthy of being the Fourth's son. He gritted his teeth as a heavy all of consternation formed in his chest.

"Oh and Norio" called Minato causing Norio to snap his head up to be greeted by a grin that pulled Minato's face back enough to reveal all 32 of his teeth.

"Good job." He finished, offering his hand to help his son to his feet.

Seeing his father's trademark smile made the water in the corner of Norio's eyes seem foolish. Grabbing the strong paw while wiping away the moisture with the back of his palm he was pulled into a standing position. The force took him by surprise and he stumbled but regained his balance.

Looking at his father's mug Norio forgot about his earlier feelings of doubt and gave a smile that was a mirror image of his progenitor.

"Come on, I bet you're hungry your mom's making your favorite tonight." He informed

Any remnant of melancholy had been extinguished from his visage at the mention of his beloved dish, "You mean Hayashi rice?"

Minato nodded a "Yes" to the boy's hopeful question.

"Alright! Let's go!" exclaimed Norio filled with mirth

Minato chuckled at his enthusiasm and decided to gear his fervor towards something productive.

"Ok, how about we race? The first one home gets **three **plates to eat." He held up the numeral which served to further excite his son

The glee that Norio felt was apparent as he feverishly alternated between a squatting and standing position trying to contain it in his small six year old body. Minato knew his newfound energy would boil over soon enough so he said, "Okay. On your mark."

Norio adopted a serious face but a grin fought to etch itself onto his face once more. His right foot was placed slightly ahead of his left and he bent his knees slightly while lowering his head slightly. He looked ready to jet off from his position at any moment as spry as can be.

"Get set." Minato lowered into a similar stance resembling a leopard ready to pounce at any given point in time.

The two Namikaze's stood with anticipation eager to begin their mad dash to food. Norio had begun visualizing aroma of his mother's cooking, imaging how the familiar yet scrumptious texture would feel being chewed in his mouth and traveling down his throat. His avarice was great enough that a small amount of drool slid from the corner of his mouth.

He intended to wipe it until he heard "Go!" from Minato at which his craving took hold and he sped away.

Minato didn't leave immediately instead watching Norio bound away in a voracious craze. He could catch him anytime he wanted but why not allow Norio some fun? A ten second head start would suffice.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…" Minato blinked as his mind registered the distance Norio had covered in about seven seconds. He had already crossed a space that would make a track star blush.

"Maybe eight seconds is enough time." He said to himself before departing

Eight minutes later Norio was breathing heavily with his hands over his knees. With every ragged breath a bead of sweat fell on the dusty bedrock leaving an irregular puddle of perspiration. His heaving was interrupted by Minato landing beside him.

He placed a fatherly hand atop the moistened head of Norio causing him to gaze into his father's smirking face.

"You overshot it didn't you?" he teased

Norio gave a tired grin and shook his head in the affirmative before taking another precious breath. Minato waited for Norio to regain his composure before saying, "What do you say we walk the rest of the way?"

Norio became animated once more at the idea of actually taking his time to get home. This was foolish to him due to the reasoning that they could get there faster by running.

"Why? We're not too far from home and I'm not as tired as I look!" he argued

Minato smiled at his impatience and he began to reason, "Then we can walk since we're so close besides you're always running from Point A to Point B, Norio, it would do you some good to take a nice leisurely scroll through the village."

Norio wanted to press this issue further but he knew it would bear no fruit and in any case his father was already walking ahead so he fell in beside him with his hands dug into his pockets. His forehead wrinkled in mild annoyance at the prospect of having to wait longer to eat. His appearance was that of a much younger child who had just been denied a treat with the stereotypical pout being the only thing missing from this picture of childish frustration.

Minato was not blind to his son's sharp change in attitude, but he stood by what he had said. Norio need to slow down sometimes it seemed like he was always trying to do several things at once or one task to quickly. Such haste would be dangerous once he became a ninja and could lead to not only his demise but the deaths of his comrades as well.

Besides he didn't understand what was so bad about taking a walk with his father. If anything the village's beauty was enhanced with a measured gait with its serene architecture that was modest yet exuded a subtle level of skill in the masonry. The streets were virtually free of litter and any trash that found its way on the ground was properly disposed of by a Good Samaritan.

This was another benefit of a slowed pace, the chance to meet the villages beaming personalities. Everyone was so cordial and amiable with one another that even a trip to the market could be an enjoyable experience. Mind you he wasn't so naïve to believe that every single person was a bright ray of sunshine, but the majority of people that crossed his path were. As if to support his point a random passerby greeted Minato with an affable "Hello, Fourth."

Minato responded with a charismatic wave and smile. Yes, the people were nice indeed.

Norio listened as several more people greeted the Fourth or Dad, as he liked to call him, and his frown deepened. He didn't know why it still bothered him the fact that his father was always acknowledged, but never him. Though that wasn't completely true he was acknowledged but not as Norio Namikaze instead he was called…

"Honorable son, hello." Said a plump woman in her thirties

'_My name is Norio.' _ Is what he wanted to say but respect, for both his father and the woman, made him bite his tongue. So he gave the lady a superficial smile.

Why he did that was a mystery because after her initial greeting he became a invisible as he turned to talk to his father. That was always what seemed to happen people would speak to him for a split second before deciding that was all they owed him and trying to engage his father.

Norio narrowed his eyes at the woman and in his exasperation noticed a tinge of pink splashed on her cheeks. Whether his father saw it wasn't clear as he continued speaking with his idiosyncratic simper plastered on his face. Gazing closer at the mystery female he noticed her starry-eye expression as Minato continued speaking and the longer he stared the more it seemed like she wasn't actually paying attention to what was said.

That seemed to happen frequently too at least with females.

Norio groaned and kicked a stray stone as he finally puckered his lips in dissatisfaction.

"I wonder what Mom is doing?"

At the home of the Fourth Hokage andKushina. the matriarch of the household brushed a strand of crimson hair out of her face. Her dark grayish eyes scanned her culinary craftsmanship causing a small look of delight to appear on her face. She had made Hayashi rice for dinner substituting the red-wine sauce with her own variation. The plates were topped with luscious chunks of cut beef, mixed with glistening onions, beside a bed of gluten rice.

The demi-gloc* had been a pain to make because the store had run out forcing her to make it herself.

The plates sat in specific spots on the tatami mat with Minato and Kushina close together and Norio right across from them. The mat was situated in front of the back entrance which led outside into the backyard. The backyard was a marvelous place encased on three sides by high walls, there was a small artificial lake encircled by white stones, and a large healthy tree that stood in the middle of the area casting a shadow that would provide good shade in case of hot summer days.

Looking at what she had accomplished Kushina congratulated herself by saying, "Not bad work for a preggo."

Placing a slim feminine hand on her swollen belly she rubbed it lovingly, her mind filled with premonitions of the little one that would soon join her family. At first the noticeable bulge was an infinite source of distress, but as the months rolled on she felt a potent connection between her and the lump. She had thought or worried that after the first time this emotion would decline but she had been pleasantly surprised.

Now all she had to do was wait for her two favorite men to come home. Minato and Norio had been gone since early that morning to train. Being the prudent one she knew that they would work up a huge appetite and probably an even larger thirst.

"Oh, that reminds me. I have to pour the Ayataka*." She remembered giving her self a "Duh" slap to the side of the head at her absent mindedness

She ventured over to the fridge and pulled a glass pitcher containing a frosted green liquid, so cold that the crystalline material had fogged from the low temperature.

She put her index and middle finger together and did the same with the other hand before bring them together into a "t" formation. A white plume of smoke dispersed around her and when it cleared there stood two pregnant Kushina's instead of one.

Looking at her signature clone she asked it kindly, "Can you get three glasses from the cabinet?"

"Sure." Her doppelganger answered before waddling over to the cabinet

This was her secret to finishing housework, cooking dinner, and shopping all in the span of a few hours: shadow clones. However due to her pregnancy she couldn't use them to the same extent that she normally could but one or two were still pretty helpful.

The clone placed the three glasses on the table by each plate and waited as Minato poured the beverage into each carefully, "This is your brother's favorite you know? He can drink green tea by the galloon." she explained to her baby

Finished with the pouring she looked at her clone and gave a quick "Thank you" before dispelling it.

Just then Kushina heard the front door unlock and the sound of her lover's call, "Kushina, we're home!"

Norio ran past his father anxious to eat…and see his mother. He had stepped onto the elevated wooden floor before Minato said, "Hold on a second Norio. Take off your shoes before you go any further."

Norio stared down at his feet and sure enough he still had on his ebony sandals. Already busting to eat he quickly returned to his father's side and removed his foot coverings not even bothering to set them tidily side by side but practically tossing them near Minato who was taking his shoes off in a much more precise manner.

Seeing Norio's lack of concern about etiquette he couldn't help but suspire though Norio couldn't hear his show of displeasure as he had disappeared around the corner.

"Mom!" called Norio jubilantly as he ran toward the woman

Kushina managed to do an about face just in time for Norio to wrap her legs into a bear hug. Despite his innocent intentions having a six year old crash into you while carrying an almost fully developed fetus was not a winning recipe for balance. If it wasn't for her training as a ninja and some luck she would've fallen through the table.

"H-Hello, Norio, glad to see you." She said still managing to beam at him though he was hidden below her belly

Minato stepped inside the kitchen/dining area and leaned on the wall finding Kushina in a precarious position. Her legs tied up by the spindle arms of their child while holding a container of tea.

Minato took in every aspect of his wife. Her normally slender build was changed, though not necessarily for the worse, due to the newest addition to their family. Her face was still thin and flawless and almost glistened in the sunlight as if her skin was made of diamond.

But he knew better while her beauty matched or exceeded the precious stone Kushina's skin felt like anything but a stone instead she shared qualities with that of cotton or even a cloud softer than a heated marshmallow.

His favorite thing about her, however, was her hair. Always long and fiery, just like she was, it flowed behind her like a stream of flames reminding him of an elegant fire that drew in simple-minded insects with its flickering amber glow.

He supposed that would make him her moth then as her flame had pulled him in long ago but was kept close by her ability to become warm and nurturing. In his utter admiration a deep grin had formed on his mug as he watched her run her fingers through Norio's dark hair.

"Hi." It was such a simple word, but when it came from Minato she couldn't help but blush like a school girl.

"Hi." She parroted with a mixture of shyness and love

She looked over her belly and into her son's sky blue eyes and sweetly asked, "Norio, would you mind putting this back up for Mommy?"

She held the pitcher to him which was level to her knee and he happily took it from her. Norio was always like that, altruistic in nature. He scurried away to the fridge leaving his parent's together.

Minato took a step towards her with his brimming smile replaced by a more discreet one. He took another step towards her and she realized he was deliberately slowing his pace.

"How are you?" he took one more step that caused her heart to thump extra hard

"I'm fine and you?" she answered with a smirk and placing her hands behind her back holding her left wrist in a sweaty palm

His next step brought him a foot away from her, "Let's not make this about me, I'll manage like I always do. How's my son?"

She took a half step in his direction her mind overwhelmed with the desire to touch him and feel his strong hands on her body.

"He's doing fine, I think he missed you. I know I have."

They both took that final step together, like it was meant to be, and embraced. Minato's hand cradled her waist, her rotund belly pressing awkwardly against him, while her arms wrapped around his neck.

Her grey eyes met his blue ones and like so many times before they kissed. It wasn't just a kiss, either, an electric sensation traveled between them enveloping them in a sea of mesmerizing of emotion making neither want to let go, but…they needed to breath.

Ending their expression of love Kushina said, "I think I love you." In a dreamy voice

Minato chuckled lightly, "I hope you do because" he gave her forehead a smooch "I would die without you."

They both smiled at one another and might've kissed again if it wasn't for a certain black-haired distraction.

_**CRASH!**_

Their heads snapped to the refrigerator at the sound of glass shattering. Norio was standing over the scattered remains of the pitcher. Jade liquid had been dispersed along with the transparent shards.

At the sight of many sharp objects near her child Kushina's maternal instincts made her move into action. She was at Norio's side in an instant kneeling as best she could beside him.

"Norio, are you okay? Did you step in any glass?" she asked as she frantically searched his body for any cuts

Norio had a look of dejection on his face as he answered, "It was Shiro."

Minato appeared on the other side of his son and moved him away from hazard. Putting his hands on his shoulders he asked, "Whose Shiro?"

Norio rubbed his fingers together at his side and bit his bottom lip before turning his head away and saying, "No one."

Kushina chimed in with, "Norio, can you get me the broom from the bathroom, please?"

Norio nodded slowly before running off to fetch the tool, but not before locking eyes with Minato.

Kushina acquired a hand towel and began to wipe the tea off the floor. She noticed Minato staring down the hall way Norio had gone down.

Sensing his bewilderment she said, "Shiro is his imaginary friend. He moved in about a week ago and has been terrorizing me ever since."

"Oh." Minato said simply, but that statement was laced in something else, "What else have I missed?" he tried to joke but couldn't hide his regret.

Kushina knew where this was going so she placed her slim hand on his shoulder and stared him in the eye.

"You're the Hokage which means time from home. You might be the fastest man in the world Minato but eve you can't be in two places at once."

"With shadow clones I can." He countered but knew a body composed of charka was not the same as having the flesh and blood person there with you.

Minato understood the logic in that he wasn't omnipresent, but that still didn't change the fact that he was missing precious time with his wife and son.

"Why don't you want to move into the Hokage Tower?" he asked bluntly

Kushina stopping her cleaning and gave Minato a straight look, "Because it's…home and I like this house Minato. It's not so small that I have to worry about hitting my head on the ceiling when I stand, but not too big where if I get lost I could die of starvation like somewhere else I can think of."

Catching the insinuation Minato said, "Point taken."

Having one their short lived battle Kushina smiled at him and said, "You know instead of worrying about the past you could help clean this up. After all this **is **your fault for knocking me up the first time."

Minato grinned at her picking up another hand towel, "Language Kushina." He mock reprimanded

"Cleaning Minato." She demanded

As the two mates continued with their task Minato couldn't resist getting in one last jab, "So you still haven't let that go?"

"Let what go?" she asked with a look of confusion

"The whole knocking you up thing? I mean it's not like I didn't have any help doing it." He joked

His sly remark was rewarded with a light punch to the arm followed by joyful giggles from the two adults.

Norio opened the door to the bathroom. It was like the rest of the house, of modest size, with a tub, sink, toilet, and a mirror above the sink. There was a tiny square window above the tub that let in outside light. The broom Norio came for was behind the door, but Norio wasn't going for it.

Instead he was staring into the mirror. Gawking at his reflection as if it was their first meeting he didn't know why he was doing it, but he was.

He resembled his father, at least that's what people told him. They had the same straight nose and triangular jaw line. Not to mention their near identical eye color which was even the same shade. Perhaps that's why no one ever saw him as himself because he and his father physically resembled each other so much? The only thin he could claim as his own was his hair.

He lacked the jaw length bangs that framed both sides of his face and his hair was…bigger. It expanded outwards more and he didn't have as many spikes with them being larger in size.

And lastly the color, Jirayia had joked that Minato should get a paternity test, whatever that was, to see if Kushina had fathered Norio with an Uchiha. After all Minato's hair was on a far more sunny side of the spectrum and his repelled all color leaving it a bleak inky onyx. He tugged at the roots of his hair and ruffled it as if that would purge it of its lack of color.

It was ironic really that his hair was the only thing that made him separate from his father…and he hated it so.

"Norio!" called Kushina form the kitchen

This brought him out of his musings and sent him running out the door. He was about halfway to the kitchen when he remembered that he had forgotten the broom.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it folks. I made a goof and had to re-upload the chapter after I realized my beta sent me a download with corrections. Sorry, Tears, oh and thank you for beta-reading my story. I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Plz leave your comments and concerns in the review section. Oh yeah Author Notes.<strong>

**Demi-glace is a reduced beef stock originating in France that is used as a sauce in the Japanese beef stew Hayabashi rice, Norio's favorite food.**

**Ayataka is an iced green tea. In real life it is sold by the Coca-Cola company.**


	2. Bull's Eye

**I'd like to thank TearsofEternalDarkness for once again beta-ing my story. It really helps to have an alternative perspective on my story and point out flaws that I might miss. Also I'd like to point out something below. Nothing serious just wanted to avoid future confusion. **

_'Thought'_

**Bull's-Eye**

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><p>Kushina awoke atop the sculpted chest of her husband, her red hair matted across her face and acted as a second blanket as it covered her arms and part of Minato's torso. Her face was twisted in annoyance and not at the sewer breath that came after a night's sleep.<p>

Her "secondary" guest had given her trouble last night…again. It seemed to be a habit of his lately with his constant talk of escape and then the gory details of what he would do once he was free.

She had heard it all before when she was pregnant with Norio, but that didn't make it any less annoying especially given the fact that he never shut up anyway. She wondered howMitoendured such a pest of a house guest for such a long time.

The thump of Minato's heart beat made any lingering thoughts of a certain kitsune stop. It was almost like music Thump, Thump, Thump with each beat her head rose and fell in conjunction with his rhythmic breathing.

She could rest like this all day just cuddling against his chest with his arm around her shoulders bringing her in close and his body heat warming her cheek. For a moment she flirted with the idea of sleeping in but a shift in Minato's position caused him to nudge her in the stomach.

It wasn't hard enough for her to punch him in the gut in retaliation, (but it did remind her of her pregnancy as their unborn child kicked out.

Upon this reminder, she knew the option of sleeping in was no longer viable. She had a responsibility to her unborn child and that didn't entail lying on her back all day (which incidentally got her in this position in the first place) no matter how warm Minato was.

She discreetly removed herself from his embrace, thoughtfully avoiding any movement that could disturb Minato's slumber. Putting her feet on the wooden floor boards sent a sensation of cold through her soles making her toes curl. Her white night gown fell to just above her ankles as she stood up which took some maneuvering because of her size.

Like a cat she nimbly slipped from her side of the bed, facing the wall because Minato wanted to be between her and anyone foolish enough to attack them while they slept. She had told him it was paranoid to think that way but he insisted

In fact, he would probably object to her being out of bed this early in the morning feeling that her movement should be at a bare minimum. She grinned at his over protectiveness and imagined his alarm at finding her not present when he awoke. She would leave a note so that he wouldn't suffer a heart attack.

Sliding into her slippers she cast one last look at the reposed Hokage and blew a kiss at him not caring how corny it seemed. However exhaling did make her remember she didn't brush her teeth yet as she swallowed dryly tasting the putrid odor in her mouth. Grimacing she tip toed from the room into the bathroom and carefully turned on the water so that just enough escaped the faucet to wet her red tooth brush, the swirl on the back reflecting in the mirror. As she brushed, she found herself staring at Minato's white toothbrush, the flames on the bottom of the handle making her smile as it reminded of her husband's beloved Hokage coat. Next to that was Norio's green brush with the Konoha symbol on the back. Again she smiled.

Hers was a red toothbrush with a swirl pattern on the back of the brush reminiscent of her clan. Minato's was a white toothbrush with a red flame design at the bottom similar to the coat he wore in his business as Hokage. Norio's own was a green toothbrush with the Konoha symbol on the back.

After three minutes of brushing, rinsing, and gargling mouthwash she was content with the clean, light feeling in her mouth. She exited the restroom and made her way to the kitchen.

Nearing the doorway her ears twitched for a millisecond and she stopped. Being a ninja her senses were sharper than the average civilian and those same senses just picked up someone in the backyard of the house.

Her training caused her body to react to the adrenaline that was slowly coursing through her veins. Her knees bent slightly, her breath's became shallow and controlled, and she brought her hands up. Her left hand settled near her cheek and the other was held out in front of her at an almost ninety degree angle.

She shifted her weight on the balls of her feet to move silently across the creaky floorboards. Kushina resembled a pugilist with her stance, if that boxer had a baby in their womb, ready to strike when necessary.

Coming at the corner that led into the kitchen the light from the rising sun, peeking through the shoji* sliding door, made her eyes squint from her pupils readjusting. With a scrupulous eye she assessed the area.

There were no cabinets ajar, or missing materials. The refrigerator was undisturbed as far as she could tell and no objects had been overturned or switched positions due to carelessness. She was confident in her analysis because of the amount of time spent in this room meaning if someone was in the house they had already departed or were lying in wait.

She pivoted toward the shoji door leading outside. The bright sun cast a yellow glare through the doorway growing brighter as Kushina moved towards it. Lightly placing her hand on the handle she slid it open slowly.

Scanning the backyard her eyes landed on a sight that made Kushina relax. Straight ahead was Norio lying against the trunk of the central tree.

Kushina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding relieved that there was no intruder. Walking outside the solar lamination kissed her skin gently ridding her of any frigidness.

Making her way over to Norio she saw that his head was leaning to the side and his eyes were closed. But what really drew her attention was his physical state, there were bruises on his hands that still seemed fresh, his clothing was ripped in several places and there were blotches of dirt on his face and pants. To top it off his scent carried an earthy fragrance which she attributed to the grime.

She knew Norio would occasionally sleep walk but he had never shown up in this state, he looked exhausted. Seeing him here she thought about what could've crawled onto him or made a nest in his hair.

"Norio, wake up." She said shaking his shoulder

Luckily her son was a light sleeper and his eyes fluttered open without much coaxing. His disorientation made him look from side to side until he found the familiar sight of Kushina. He groggily wiped the sleep from his eyes and let out a big yawn.

"Good morning, Mom." He accosted

Kushina smiled at her boy, "Good morning, Norio. Why are you outside?"

Norio looked at her with purity that could only come from a six year old and said, "I like it out here. It's quiet."

His answer was so simple and straightforward Kushina found she was unable to scold him for sleeping outside.

"Well, you mind if I join you?" she asked politely

"No." he answered solemnly

She took a space that was right beside Norio, but accidentally sat on a root causing her to let out a small "Ow". Norio giggled at her lack of finesse causing Kushina to give him a face that showed false hurt at his teasing. Finding a much softer patch of posture she sat her rump down and shivered upon feeling the cold dew sink through her clothing and making contact with her sensitive skin.

She grimaced but quickly hid it to avoid upsetting Norio. She laid her back against the tree and found it, obviously, to be hard and lumpy with the knots digging into her back uncomfortably.

She shuffled to try and find a more bearable position, but between the compact tree and dank ground she found it a losing battle.

Frankly, she didn't she what Norio found so fascinating…

She stopped her complaining when a cloud passed over the sun letting its rays peek out. The beam of light was refracted across the ground by the dewy grass causing it to sparkle. In the pond to their left a reflection was cast of the hanging star in the sky wrinkled by the ripples in the water casting a luminous hue a short distance into the air.

It was then that she heard a chirp or two. She looked up into the branches and saw a family of birds being fed by their mother. They snipped hungrily at the meal she had brought for them. She looked over at Norio to see if he saw this flawless example of natural beauty and she saw a little smile at the corner of his mouth as he took in the scenery.

"This is nice." She said aloud and Norio silently agreed as he let his head rest against the trunk of the tree

The two sat for an unspecified amount just absorbing the allure that their home provided. It surprised Kushina that there was such a tranquil location right next to her and she never noticed. She would have to show this to Minato. He was always the type that could sit back and enjoy something for what it truly was without any outside interference.

"Mom, is Dad proud of me?"

Kushina was caught off guard by the blunt question especially coming from a six year old. Looking at him she saw he had a somber look and was staring straight ahead.

"Why would you ask that, Norio? Of course he's proud of you, you're his son."

_'Is it only because I'm his son?'_ he wanted to ask

Instead he kept silent taking a spike of his hair and twisting it, a quirk of his he used to reliever internal tension or other uncomfortable feelings.

"You're his son." She had said it as if that automatically excused him from his father's dissatisfaction. If anything it made it harder to live up to his expectations knowing that his Dad, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, was a man who had accomplished so much.

"Norio?" Kushina called softly

Norio ceased his unique mannerism and realized that he hadn't answered his mother, but to tell the truth he didn't feel like talking anymore.

Kushina saw his sudden desire to be silent and knew from experience that any attempt to get him to express himself would only lead to a shrug of shoulders and vague responses. So instead of directly asking him to divulge what was bothering him she would try an alternative approach.

"Well, Norio, I have some shopping to do in town. Do you want to come along?" she offered

Norio's face didn't change, but he nodded in agreement. Kushina's eyes lowered upon seeing that, but she could do nothing about it now. Standing she brushed herself off and offered her hand out to Norio who gently took it.

"You're going to have to take a bath first and brush your teeth as well." She reminded him

He nodded once more and walked towards the house. As he prepared for his shower Kushina's eyes landed on the spot where "Shiro" had struck again. Of course, in actuality, it had been Norio who had dropped the glass pitcher and then blamed it on his imaginary friend.

This had been the norm for about a week now; Norio would break something then persistently place the deed on "Shiro". It was a normal, if monotonous, tactic employed by young children to avoid trouble. She hoped he grew out of it soon as they would run out of stuff sooner or later.

It took Norio only a couple of minutes to make himself more presentable and dress in a green shirt with black pants. Kushina was wearing a sleeveless loose fitting dress for their trip into town.

"Ready to go?" she asked

Norio nodded grimly not showing any enthusiasm, obviously still mulling over the topic of his father's acceptance. It was strange for a six year old to be so deeply affected by such a thing as approval by his parents. Normally kids would be too happy jumping from one activity to the next without a second thought, but then Norio was different.

He was an introspective young boy always appearing to be stuck in his own mind and when he did finally come out it was always with a whimper. He was quiet and reserved speaking only when spoken to.

This bashful demeanor was a surprise when you considered who his parent's were: An amicable blonde and a somewhat temperamental red head both of whom were anything but shy.

Still…

Norio and Kushina walked towards the front door. Kushina left the note for Minato. She stopped to put on her sandals but noticed Norio continue out the door.

"Norio." Halted Kushina causing him to turn around, "Are you forgetting something?"

Her eyes stared down at his overturned sandals. Norio looked at his own bare feet before sheepishly saying, "Uh…I forgot."

She watched him return beside her and put on his own sandals.

To finish her earlier thought; Yes, Norio was shy. Yes, he made mistakes that resulted in the loss of material possessions and yes, he could be forgetful at times, but she still…

"You ready, Mom?" he asked taking her hand in his own tiny one.

She smiled at her son and answered in a kind voice, "Yes, sweetie."

She loved him.

The walk into the village wasn't too protracted, but it was silent. Norio's cheerless aura had persisted since they left the house. Kushina had hoped the radiant glow of the sun would cheer him up, but she had been in error.

Norio was preoccupied with his thought's which mostly pertained to his father which was the reason for his tenacious silence. He looked to the right as his mind drifted into the past.

* * *

><p>Norio retrieved the broom from the restroom and hustled back to his mother. He couldn't believer he'd dropped the glass pitcher, he knew he blamed Shiro, but it was due to his clumsiness that the pitcher broke. He didn't know why he had so many accidents. He wanted to help, he really did, but it seemed the more he tried the less good came out of it.<p>

Even when he told himself he wouldn't mess up and tried doubly hard to do so he still ended up causing a mess. Hopefully he could get the broom to his mother without snapping it in half.

"So how was his training?" he heard his mom ask from the kitchen

Norio froze in place completely forgetting about his mother's request. His mother had told him that it wasn't nice to listen in on other people talking, but his curiosity won out.

He held the broom and stood just around the corner of the doorway so that they couldn't see him.

"Well, he's mastered the first two stages of the Rasengan about three times faster than I did. You'll also be happy to know he can use the shadow clone technique." Minato explained

"He gets if from my side of the family you know?"

Norio heard his dad give a small laugh and he even allowed himself a tiny smile. At least it seemed he wasn't a complete failure…

"But." Norio's smile faded instantly at hearing the dreadful conjunction.

"His focus breaks at times, but his biggest issue is that he doesn't take his time. That could be disastrous in the path he's going to take."

Norio stopped listening right there. To him there was nothing more to hear with his father basically saying he was unfit to be a ninja. They continued talking, but Norio decided to simply leave the broom at the doorway. His mom would eventually wonder what was taking him and find the broom once she came looking.

He was angry now. Angry with himself and there was only one thing he could do when that happened.

* * *

><p>Norio walked in a daze as he recalled that memory. His heart and hands still stung when he brought back to the forefront of his mind. He was so distracted that he didn't even feel his foot hit the ground or his hold progressively weaken on his mother's before finally letting go altogether.<p>

"Norio?" Kushina questioned at the lack of contact. He continued to walk beside her but he had a glazed look in his eye signaling his retreat into his mind. He knew it was childish to be acting the way he was, but then again he was a child after all. Putting the issue out of his mind was only a temporary fix as his restless brain invariably returned to it later. So he decided to just think about it as much as possible until it became irrelevant.

Why wasn't he a good enough ninja to his father? Why couldn't he stop making mistakes? These were the depressing thoughts that cycled through his mind near constantly. He would have continued on with these thoughts until he heard his mother call to him.

"Norio, watch where you're going!" she alerted him suddenly

This time her voice managed to reach him through his veil of self pity. However his reaction was too slow and he ended up colliding with the forehead of a very short person.

"Ow!" he heard the other person say and noticed it to have a high pitch to it.

He massaged his throbbing frontal lobe, the pain making one of his eyes close. Though he could make out the person through his open eye. She had hair the shade of chestnut that descended to just below her jaw with two bangs framing each side of her face. Norio could tell that they were around the same age with her youthful face, but there were a few key differences. Such as the red triangular markings, one on each cheek, pointing downwards resembling the fangs of a carnivorous beast. Her dark eyes were narrowly pointed at him in exasperation.

Norio found her crimp forehead confusing, the discomfort in his own having dissipated.

"Watch where you're going!" growled the tiny girl.

As her voice raised an octave Norio heard an actual growl or three from beside her. Following the gnarling sound his eyes landed on a triplet set of canines. All of them had the same ashen fur with white undersides and short pointed ears. The lines of their muzzles were pulled back showing rows of intimidating teeth ready to strike. Norio didn't know if it was his own short stature but the dogs seemed very large and imposing especially standing beside the similar sized girl.

"Well, aren't you going to apologize?" she chided, "Or am I going to have to sic the Haimaru Brothers on you?" The dogs growled at the young boy as they were mentioned.

Norio realized he'd been day-dreaming again, but at her threat his mind began to react appropriately. That is to say he grew frightened now that he had three very large, very angry dogs bearing their teeth at him.

"S...sorry." he managed to stutter out with a pathetic look of trepidation on his face.

At his offering of remorse the dog handler and her ninken softened but only enough so that Norio felt they wouldn't attack him...immediately. Though they still retained an air of hardness about them that would make him wary of his actions and speech.

"Hana, what are you doing?" said a gruffly female voice

A woman who possessed the feral qualities of the wolf-like dog beside her walked beside the girl. Her eyes were slit in dangerous looking lines and her hair was reminiscent of a porcupine not unlike Norio's. Describing her appearance as "rough around the edges" would be putting it mildly with her only feminine quality being the violet lipstick she wore. She eyed Norio with a perforating gaze like a predator stalking its next meal.

Kushina appeared beside her son placing a hand on his shoulder which served to revive some of his confidence. Norio took an unconscious step toward her. His mother and the other woman stared at each other for moment...or two. Norio felt the air grow dense as the two adults continued the staring contest. He wondered if the girl, Hana was her name, felt it as well.

A quick glance at her and Norio averted his gaze due to the antagonistic look she was giving him. He rubbed the back of his neck feeling her eyes boring into him.

"Hell, Kushina." One of the women finally said condescendingly.

Norio didn't know if his Mom picked up on that or not, but regardless she responded in a civil tone, "Hello, to you too Tsume Inuzuka and to your daughter Hana as well." Kushina using someone's full name and speaking in such a formal manner usually meant one thing to Norio. She didn't like them. She often did this when she had no other choice but to converse with the stuffy elders of the village and she had to "play nice" to avoid embarrassing her husband.

Hana responded only with a curt nod before narrowing her eyes further at Norio causing him to take a step back. As he moved Tsume's eyes fell onto him and he just wanted to shrink away to avoid her marauding look.

"So that's Minato's son, huh? Why's his hair black?" she asked cordially

Norio matted his hair down with one of his hands when it was brought into the conversion. He already didn't like it himself and now someone had taken notice of it. Kushina's gave her son a fleeting look before returning to the woman who had just insinuated something very scandalous. Kushina didn't acknowledge the slight however, there were children present after all, she would be the adult about the situation. Though that didn't mean she had to be a _mature_adult about it.

"Kuromaru is looking healthy though I am sorry about his eye...and ear. Let's hope he doesn't have any other accidents." She remarked

The lupine dog growled softly at the mention his phantom appendages. His owner put on a smile that seemed to require herculean effort while she petted him to keep from attacking the woman. She then put a fist to her mouth and did a pseudo-cough.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Kushina." she said through almost clenched teeth, "Let's go Hana."

Hana turned to follow her mother casting Norio one last portent look. It was obvious that their collision wasn't about to be forgotten easily.

"Goodbye, Tsume Inuzuka." Kushina said waving with a smile

Once the two Inuzuka's were out of sight Kushina's smile faltered and she let out a deep breath. It was as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She and Tsume always had a tumultuous relationship ever since they first met. Minato always attributed it to the fact that their personalities were similar but she rebuked that theory. There was no way she had any similarities to that woman especially not after the sly comment she made on Norio's head color.

Looking down at the boy who was twisting his spikes again she kneeled beside him. Putting her hands on his shoulder she made him face her. Norio thought he had done something wrong at the serious face his mother was making, but then she said, "Norio, I want to tell you something." Norio stayed silent as his mother paused in her speech.

"Don't ever apologize for the way you look. Okay?" she shared

Norio nodded, but Kushina stared at him longer to make sure the message stuck. She understood how it felt to dislike the color of your own hair. As a child she had hated the nickname "Tomato" caused by her round face and blood red hair. Luckily the hair she considered a curse actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise because that was the catalyst that brought Minato closer to her. Ever since then she took care of her hair as if it were alive.

"All right, Norio, let's continue to the market shall we?"

* * *

><p>Minato scribbled over some documents he had taken home from his office. Despite his one wish as a child to become Hokage he could've gone without the paperwork and the boring meetings and the tedious policy reviews. Not to mention the often strained discussions with the village elders. There were so many of them that were rigid and stubborn in their ways that more than a few of their engagements ended up being fruitless ones.<p>

Mind you there were some that didn't seem to want to give him a headache intentionally such as Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza who placed the well being of the village as a whole as a major factor in all their decisions. There were even some neutral ones that only wanted what was best for their own people and didn't take sides such as Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan.

Just as the thought of the prestigious clan popped into his head a report concerning said clan found its way into his hand. It was signed by a…skeptic, was the closest word he could think of, of the Uchiha clan.

'_Danzo Shimura.' _He thought and let out a wearisome yawn. Despite being up for a full fifteen minutes by now he was still a little tired.

He was about to read the report when a knock came at the door. Instantly his mind presumed one his assistants and he prayed that they were not her to cut his three day vacation short.

With a bit of hesitation Minato made his way to the door stretching his arms as he did so. Another more forceful knock showed that it was not an assistant as they were often too worried about upsetting him to knock with such assertiveness.

"Coming." He told the visitor

"Would you mind coming faster?" he heard the informal voice say

Minato recognized the speech pattern and opened the door to find his sensei on the other side.

"Jiraiya." Minato said in slight surprise though he thought he shouldn't be because his master had a habit of dropping by unannounced and then disappearing in the same manner.

"Nice to see you too, Minato." Greeted the older man, "Are you going to invite your sensei in?"

Realizing that he was standing in the way Minato quickly said, "Of course."

Jiraiya moved into the dining room where Minato had his mountain of papers stacked in ascending fashion. This was one of the main reasons why he would never want to become Hokage even though the papers here were not as numerous as the mounds in theHokageTower. Still they could probably still give a good headache.

Jiraiya sat down easily at the front of the small tea table holding up another stack of Minato's papers. He raised his knee and placed his arm across the top whilst putting his weight on his free hand and leaning backwards.

Minato joined him and seeing his relaxed body language said, "Comfortable?"

Jiraiya smiled and answered with, "Very." He then leaned forward slightly and clapped his hands together.

"So, how is my favorite student?"

Minato wrote something on a document before saying, "I don't think that's fair to Katashi and Shigeya*."

Jiraiya cackled at his student's modesty, "True, but Katashi and Shigeya never like my novel as much as you did so they lose points."

At the mention of his sensei's book Minato pounded his fist into his open palm in a moment of recollection.

"Oh yeah." He said eyes sparkling, "I have to thank you, sensei." He then began to shuffle through some papers in search of something.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and adopted a smug smirk as he shook his head at his student's upcoming praise.

"You mean for taking you under my wing and showing you the proper way of the ninja? You don't need to thank me for that Minato I was glad-."

"That's not what I meant." Minato interrupted.

A simple "Oh" was all Jiraiya could muster to hide his bruised ego. Minato ceased his search as he pulled out a book or novel to be more accurate with the title The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi written in bold letters.

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow not because of he recognized the book as his own word, but the relation it had to the conversation.

"I was talking about your story—"

"Novel." Corrected Jiraiya.

Minato chuckled at the technicality, "Your novel helped me decided what to name my son. I think your hero, Naruto, is a spectacular character and maybe some of that will rub off on my son if they have the same name."

Jiraiya made a face of mild doubt creasing his forehead as he rubbed his chin and said, "I never pegged you as the superstitious type Minato. Besides you sure you want to name your kid after a stick of kamaboko*?"

Minato blinked at his question not seeing the logic in his argument.

"It can also mean maelstrom. Besides Kushina likes it too." He shared

Jiraiya scratched the side of his head, "That woman would find anything to do with ramen as likeable. By the way where are she and Norio?"

"Oh, they went to get some groceries." His face straightened a little, "Even though I told her to take it easy and relax."

Jiraiya nodded, it was natural for a man to be a little overprotective of his wife and child. This was doubly true for Minato who was a cautious and preservative person by nature.

"While we're on the subject we should talk about **him**." Jiraiya announced suddenly serious

Minato stopped his writing and placed his pen to the side. When you discussed **him, **signing documents could wait.

"Yes, let's talk about him." Minato said his voice betraying a sliver of animosity, "Kushina says he's been taunting her lately when she sleeps. He knows that when the time comes for her to give birth he can slip out."

Had this been another time, Jiraiya would have made some adulterated comment on "slipping out" but he held his tongue. There would be other times for that.

"Have you checked the seal regularly?"

Minato broke the air of austere somewhat by twisting his face into one of false hurt resembling a small child.

"Come now, Sensei, you know me better than that." He stated, "Four times everyday; once in the morning, twice in the evening, and once more before bed. I would've done it this morning, but Kushina ran off before I woke up."

"Any irregularities?" His teacher further questioned

"It's weakening as her pregnancy progresses, but that's to be expected. I'll be there to make sure it doesn't become so eroded that he escapes." He informed Jiraiya

The Toad Sannin nodded his head. It seemed like Minato had everything under control, but when you were talking about the possible release of something equivalent to a natural disaster you could never be too careful.

"I'm sure you've made all the other preparations?"

Minato knew there had to be one more question, but like with everything else he was prepared, "Of course. Sarutobi assisted with finding an isolated location far from civilians. You should relax, Sensei, I'm on top of things."

A facetious grin spread across Jiraiya's face as he said, "You know this whole conversation is a result of you 'staying on top of things'."

Minato frowned slightly at his sensei's perverse nature. "You just couldn't resist could you?"

Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh that filled the house and obliterated what remained of the serious atmosphere. The hermit always had a peculiar sense of humor that seemed to appeal to only a select few evident when he was the only one laughing after a joke.

However there were those moments where his laughter possessed a certain infectious quality. Hearing him laugh in turn made other's want to laugh and that's what Minato did. They laughed with one another just like it was old times so much so that they didn't hear the door open and footsteps stop beside them.

Kushina was holding two bags by her side filled with enough food to provide a hefty meal for her family for the rest of the week. But that still wasn't enough.

Because of her pregnancy she required a substantial amount of food, at least that's the argument she used when Minato said she was a glutton. Therefore Norio was carrying about three more bags plump with groceries.

He had conjured a clone to carry one bag while the original held two bags out in front of him hiding his face save for a few spikes poking from behind the bag. Kushina considered this backwards logic as most would use the clone to do the heavy lifting, but by now Kushina recognized it as one of Norio's personality quirks. He always wanted to do things on his own if he could.

Arriving at home the two were welcomed by the laughter of the jubilant kind. The two found their way into the dining area and spotted Minato with a snowy haired man of about 50.

"Jiraiya!" acknowledged Kushina

The sound of dropping groceries and a distinctive poof brought all eyes to the impish six year old. On his face was a smile that could melt even the coldest heart. It was as if his early morning blues had never come to pass.

"Grandpa Jiraiya!" he said happily as he bounded over to the much older man

Jiraiya's face flipped into a frown at the nickname he had acquired, "You gotta stop calling me that kid? I'm only 38."

Norio's mind didn't consider the math important, but he contemplated what else to call his "Grandfather".

"I know, I'll call you what Mom calls you." He said confidently piquing Jiraiya's interest, "Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya glared at the red head responsible for his new identity, who had an innocent look hiding the mischief underneath.

"I think that suits Jiraiya-sensei very well, Norio." Said Minato snickering.

The glare formerly aimed at his student's wife now traveled to the student himself.

"You know I don't think I have to sit here and take this." He stood up and ruffled Norio's hair, "I'll be in the back with my…godson practicing a new jutsu."

Norio's smile widened so much he developed crow's feet on the side of his eyes at the mention a "new jutsu".

"Really, come on." He said pulling Jiraiya's thumb in the direction of the sliding door outside.

Kushina watched him guide the older man to the backyard. It was ironic that despite her efforts all it took to cheer Norio up was teaching him a new technique. Six year olds could be so confounding at times.

"I see you got up early this morning." Minato said looking up at his wife

"Well, someone has to provide for this family." She teased sticking her tongue out at him.

Minato rose from his seat and took the groceries from Kushina's hands, "Minato." She whined at his chivalry

"Don't whine. Unlike most men I actually like helping out my wife from time to time." He explained picking up the extra groceries Norio had dropped earlier

Kushina crossed her arms at his obstinate refusal to let her do anything even mildly strenuous. It made her feel like she was…fat or something. Her hand rubbed her belly and she thought, _'Oh that's right. I am.'_

As Minato put the groceries away she took note of the sea of papers that had appeared since she left. It was a miracle he actually got any work done with the multitude of piles he had at home.

"You know if you really want to help you could cook dinner once in a while." She said

Minato stopped putting away the food to give Kushina his quality beam, "There are some thing's even I can't do."

She pulled playfully on one of his spikes at his clever evasion before letting go and sitting down at the tea table with her legs to the side draped over one another. Minato's speed came in handy because the groceries were up before she had a chance to get comfortable.

He then sat down right in front of her and stared into her eyes. He rather enjoyed doing this with her just looking into her eyes and getting lost in them. It was mesmerizing. They did this for a good minute before Kushina blushed and said, "You know this reminds me of the staring contest I had with Tsume Inuzuka earlier this morning."

Minato knew that whenever Kushina used someone's full name they had either upset her or she didn't like them in general. The Inuzuka clan leader had done both and Minato slightly shuddered at how there last meeting had gone.

"Um…you didn't know? Whistle at her again and say 'Come here girl', right?" he asked hopefully

A devious smile spread across Kushina's lips as she thought about how much that would tick the Inuzuka off and admonished herself for not thinking of it earlier.

"Oh yeah, by the way." She changed the subject, "I think Norio overheard our conversation about his training yesterday and he was a little upset about it. I think he misunderstood what you were saying."

Minato perked up at this and said, "Really?"

He looked over Kushina's shoulder at Jiraiya and Norio as his sensei discussed a new technique with his son.

"He seems fine now though thanks to Jiraiya, but I think he needs to hear something from you to make sure it never happens again."

Minato clinched his teeth at unintentionally upsetting his son. He was only giving Kushina an objective viewpoint on Norio's abilities.

"What are you getting Norio for his birthday?" Kushina said suddenly

Minato chimed back in to reality and thought about the question. He tried to remember what he had gotten Norio for his birthday last year before he remembered that he had not been there to celebrate his birthday having been away on business. Digging deeper into his memories he remembered that a similar thing had occurred on his fifth birthday but this time it was due to a string of late night in the office.

Kushina had mercilessly torn him down about it every time he had missed a birthday of their sons and he couldn't say he didn't deserve every bit of it. They eventually came to an understanding that he was going to miss some things in Norio's life and soon to be Naruto's, but that didn't necessarily make it right.

"Wow, I just remembered that I've been a terrible father." He said aloud without a hint of levity in his voice

"Alright Norio, I know you know some sealing techniques from your Dad and Mom, right?" Jiraiya inquired

Norio nodded his head like a toy and answered with, "Yeah, Mom taught me how to hold a lot of different things in scrolls like water or weapons and Dad showed me how to do a summoning, but I don't think I like the toads."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow at hearing this. The frogs were his own personal summon and he felt he wasn't being biased when he said they were valuable assets in battle so to hear someone say "I don't think I like the toads" required an explanation.

"Why not? Toads are great. Your Dad and I both use them to great effect. So why not you?" he asked trying not to sound like he was interrogating him

Norio shrugged his shoulders. He had never really thought about the exact reason he didn't like summoning the toads. They just didn't seem compatible with him and granted he had never actually summoned one of the bigger ones only managing the tadpoles and the immature ones. Maybe that was why he didn't like them.

"I don't know. I guess I just want something that can move around faster and get to different places really quick." He divulged rubbing the back of his head hoping he hadn't angered his Grandpa

Jiraiya rubbed the bottom of his chin and closed his eyes in thought.

_'Hmmm, something that can move fast and far.'_ He thought

Norio thought he had upset Jiraiya after all when he didn't say anything after his explanation. But then Jiraiya let out an "Ah hah! I know just the thing."

He reached into his back pocket and brought out a moderately sized scroll and handed it to Norio.

"Here, I think this is what you're looking for. I know it may not seem like a good summon at first, but I've seen them used in creative ways before you just have to be a little imaginative."

Norio looked at the scroll with eagerness trying to figure out what animal Jiraiya had given him to study.

"This is great. Thanks, Pervy Sage! I'm gonna go practice it right now!" he hailed as he ran back towards the house

Jiraiya's face was twisted into a scowl at the undesirable nickname that was beginning to stick, "Stop calling me that!" He called after the boy, but it was to no avail.

Norio ran straight into the kitchen and was heading out of the doorway when he heard his father say, "Norio, hold on a second."

His son stopped moving, but he could see that he was anxious to leave as he kept bouncing in place. Minato walked over to his son and kneeled down to eye level with him. Upon meeting his father's eyes Norio's exuberant energy diminished somewhat as he said, "Did I do something wrong?"

Minato waved off the misplaced worry with, "No you didn't I just wanted to give you something." He reached into his pocket just like Jiraiya had done a few moments prior, "Call it an early birthday gift."

His hand came from his pocket with a tri-pronged kunai with a slightly thicker handle. Written on the handle were a series of kanji, probably seals that held the secret to Minato's jutsu. Unfortunately it was only legible to those that knew the code he used to decrypt them and that was known only to Minato himself.

Norio took the weapon and noted it to be heavier than normal kunai. He looked at his father wondering why this was being given to him. Minato sensed this and said, "I know I haven't always been around for you Norio and that at times Dad can seem a little hard, but I want you to know something Norio."

The six year old waited patiently for his father's next remark. He didn't notice that his hand had clenched the kunai tightly and his little heart was thumping harder.

"I love you Norio and from now on whenever you want me to come just throw that kunai and I'll drop everything I'm doing and come running."

Norio looked down at the ninja tool Minato had just given him. He always knew it was special but now it took on a whole new meaning. He didn't get to see his father all the time and he sorely wanted to. Now all he had to do was throw the kunai knife and he could have him whenever he wanted.

He smiled at the new development and said, "Thanks Dad."

Minato smiled and ruffled the air of his son before walking with him outside. Norio gave a wave goodbye before jumping off towards the training fields. Minato watched as his visage became a dot in the distance.

Soon he was completely out of sight leaving Minato alone. Well not completely alone. He looked to his left before saying aloud, "Raido, you can come out now."

In a split second a young man of about twenty appeared by his side he had spiky brown hair that seemed to be so common in the village and wheal-like scar that ran from the bridge of his nose down across the left side of his face. He was a Jonin or more accurately a Tokubetsu Jonin with a very special function. He was one of three shinobi that operated as his special guard.

"Yes, sir, what do you need?" he asked respectfully

"I need you to follow my son to the training field and keep an eye on him. Tell Genma to switch positions with you to watch Kushina." He ordered

Even though they were technically **his **guards Minato more often than not assigned them to his wife and son. He could handle most threats that came his way, but he wanted to make sure that they were protected at all times. Even though he had just given Norio his kunai you never knew what could happen and when it came to his family you could never be too safe.

"The training field?" Raido said with a bit of awe before reverting back to his professional demeanor, "I mean yes sir."

Minato, being the perceptive one he was, noticed his momentary lapse in attitude.

"What is it Raido?"

The young man was silent for a moment as he considered whether this information was worth divulging. Deciding it would hurt him more to remain silent he began.

"It's just that I was surprised to hear Norio going off to the training field again so soon. After last night I though he would take a break."

Minato's brow rose upon hearing this, "What do you mean 'last night'?"

Suddenly glad he was sharing this information Raido continued, "Well, you see Norio left your home sometime yesterday afternoon. I thought it strange that he was leaving by himself so I followed. He went to one of the training fields and stayed there the rest of the afternoon and the entire night."

"What? I didn't…" he stopped when he realized the time when Norio could have done such a thing. It must have been after he heard him and Kushina talking. He must've gone to the field to train and the boy that was in their house after that must've been a clone. He probably used it so he could stay out all night to train.

Minato smirked at the ingenuity, _'Clever boy.'_

"Thank you for this information Raido. You did a good thing tellingme." He congratulated

Raido nodded and let out a "Sir" before leaping away. Minato looked off in the direction Norio had taken before heading back inside.

Norio landed in the middle of his favorite training area and took in the state of the land. There were various ninja weapons embedded into the trees and ground such as kunai and shuriken. Strangely there were also spiral patterns carved into the trees and ground a result of Norio's attempt at mastering the Rasengan.

Norio clinched his fists making him wince from the still fresh bruises on his hands. His stomach growled audibly at not having eaten anything since yesterday. Unfortunately sustenance obtained by a clone didn't transfer into the original like information did which was what he was hoping for when he made that clone to cover for him after he ran off yesterday.

Looking at the weathered padding wrapped around the wide wooden pole Norio's mind focused. A little bit of hunger and pain wouldn't stop him from training, he still wasn't as good as he felt he could be and that meant he still had work to do. So he would push himself harder and harder until he was satisfied with the results no matter how many hours of pain and exhaustion it took.

Then maybe just maybe he could live up to the expectation of being the Fourth Hokage's son.

Turning to his right he spotted the red and white circle he used for target practice. Like the ground and trees it also was covered with kunai and shuriken, but Norio noticed that none of them were on the bull's eye.

He flipped the trident kunai in his hand before catching it again. Looking at it he remembered his father's words, _"If you ever need me just throw it and I'll be there."_

He placed the kunai on the ground and picked one up off the ground nearby. _'There are some things you have to do by yourself.' He thought_

Gripping the kunai tightly in his bruised hand he ignored the pain and drew back his arm across his left shoulder. As he eyed the bull's eye his mind only thought one thing.

_'Bull's Eye.'_

* * *

><p>Author Notes: Katashi means "firm, hard" in Japanese I chose this name because Minato's male teammate looks like the serious type. The second name, Shigeya, is derived from the first kanji, "Shige" meaning "heavy" and the second kanji meaning, "ya", meaning "the night" or "the evening". This relates to her black hair or the fact that we know nothing about her.<p>

Kamaboko is, as hinted by Jiraiya, related to ramen. It is a type of cured surimi, a Japanese processed seafood product, with a pink whirlpool design in the middle used as a topping for ramen. Also as Minato reveals "Naruto" can also mean "maelstrom". You can thank Narutopedia for that information.


	3. One Bad Day

**I'd like to thank my beta once more for checking my stories for errors and the like as well as to anyone else that is currently reading this story. Also to any readers if you feel the need to offer suggestions, ask questions, or give critique know that I am always listening so don't be shy. Without wasting your time any further onto the story.**

* * *

><p><strong> One Bad Day<strong>

"**There is no greater love than this. There is no greater gift that can ever be given. To be willing to die, so another might live-there is no greater lover than this."**

** - Steven Curtis Chapman**

The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It didn't seem that not too long ago the leading power in all the elemental nations was not always so. Indeed the magnificent tribe known as Konoha had started out as nothing more than that a tribe. A tribe that, by itself, was fearsome indeed, but it wasn't until this particular tribe was faced with an adversary did it grow.

With a clan that was its peer in size, strength, and drive it had no choice. In those days, the old days, it was survival of the fittest. If you were not strong as a people you either perished or were subjugated by those who held the authority to assimilate you into their own ranks. And the best at carrying this process of natural selection was one clan in particular, but there was another.

The strife and rivalry they shared made them both mighty. Each worked tirelessly to outdo and in turn avoid being overshadowed by the other. It was an ugly process, but it was reality. It was a brutal and unapologetic reality yet simplistic in design. One that would have continued indefinitely if it wasn't for one man's desire for unity, for peace.

'_Peace.' _ The mere thought almost caused him to laugh at the ludicrous concept held by his former peer.

His peer being Hashirama Senju. Invoking the name no longer brought a white hot fury to burn within him instead he experienced pity when thinking of his old ally. He pitied him for the delusional image he had of peace and that intangible yet infuriating belief he held onto that made him purse anything with doggish tenacity. His "Will of Fire".

Such a childish doctrine held no value to him. It only served to stir up feelings of blind faith to the idiotic notion that simply possessing it would lead success. If it wasn't for his mask he would have spat right about now. He was tired of the inherent stupidity of the Leaf, but tonight that would all change.

Tonight he would wipe the ignorant smear that was this village off the face of the Earth. But like every plan it began with the first step.

* * *

><p>Norio exhaled a heavy breath of a fatigue both mental and physical. But mostly physical. His hair and shirt were soaked in perspiration which wasn't comfortable as the chilly air swam into his open pores. His clothes had dirt caked into the very fabric making him feel heavier than he actually was. His arms hung limply by his side practically useless from the abuse he had put them through, but he couldn't stop now.<p>

Raising his right hand gingerly to his side he began to create a Rasengan.

'_Rotation.' _he thought causing the chakra to swirl like a whirlpool in his palm

'_Power.' _he "caught" the chakra and began to compress it into a sphere

Soon his efforts yielded a double-layered sphere with a helix center casting off a deep blue hue. He eyed the ample wooden pole in front of him and imagined it splintering into the air and covering the ground in timber toothpicks. He forced his legs of lead forward for one last push. It seemed to take an eternity for him to reach the target with every step feeling encumbered by lead.

"Rasengan!" he cried out driving the chakra orb into the post

He drilled the attack forward, it hurt, but he couldn't stop. His palms throbbed painfully begging for a rest, but he kept pushing. He could feel the copse give way, splitting apart at the force he applied and then...he opened his eyes.

His visualization of seeing his jutsu reduce the pole into sawdust were to go unrealized tonight as all he got for his efforts was a spiral pattern dug superficially into the wood. He let his arms fall to the side, a warm viscous substance now dripping from his palms. His entire body pulsated in lassitude pleading to rest, but Norio couldn't hear his body's appeal.

He was too focused on the whirlpool pattern. It seemed to mock him, serving as a reminder that he had yet to master his father's technique. He wanted to punch something, but his arms were unresponsive so he settled for gritting his teeth.

'_Almost a year and still the same result.' _he thought irately.

He let his head fall forward against the pole and just leaned there for a moment. His eyes stared into the ground, but he was actually looking at it, he was inside his head again. He was trying to conceive any unseen flaws in his execution that could lead to him failing over and over again. He was executing the first two steps perfectly, but the last...

He banged his head against his support in frustration. It wasn't enough to give himself a concussion, but just enough so that he could release some chagrin.

Stiffly he turned his neck, his muscles operating tightly like an un-oiled machine. Observing the training area which now resembled a small battlefield thanks to the potholes, scattered weapons, and small patches of mud. Once emerald grass was now dull and absent.

Norio rubbed his fingers together, about the only thing he could do to avoid the pain of movement, feeling the organic liquid between his fingers. It made him want to practice his summonings again but chakra exhaustion prohibited that. His mother would see his blood soaked palm and simple injuries from over training as react as a mother should treating the wounds as simply that wounds.

He had a different perspective. It was a badge, a testament to what he was willing to endure to step away from the shadow of his father. In a strange way, it made all his grueling training sessions worth it. It showed that even though he had not yet mastered his father's jutsu he was well on the way, he was improving. Maybe that was all that mattered.

Norio sighed to himself as he stared at the moon hanging like a white tear.

'_It's going to be a long walk home.' _

Norio's bodyguard rubbed the side of his arms as a response to the cold stimuli. He had been out here for several hours and the climate was beginning change. He was a ninja and could stay in this spot for as long as needed, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little pleased to see Norio finally decide to call it a day removing his head from the pole and turning in the direction of his home. He understood how important it was to keep your skills in peak condition, but the kid was pushing it.

He had trained for hours on end, spending only the bare minimum on breaks and going in high gear the whole time. It was almost...obsessive. Whenever he felt something was off by the tiniest margin he would redo it until the minute detail was corrected no matter how long it took. A few times he wanted to step in and tell the kid to take it easy, but his role as an invisible guardian prevented such a thing from occurring.

He felt sorry for the kid though, having to walk home after such a physically demanding workout must be torture. The Fourth had ordered him to stay hidden while guarding his family, but seeing Norio practically limp away in obvious paroxysm appealed to his altruistic side.

'_I think this time I can make an exception. I mean after all it is his son.'_

Raido was about to go assist the boy when the hairs on his neck stood up followed by a feeling of paranoia washing over him. He turned around to identify the cause of his bodily reaction, but he was too sloth-like in both his awareness and reaction time.

He only managed to ready a kunai before his assailant was on him. It was surreal how quickly the darkness overtook him pulling him into a cold embrace. All he managed to see before unconsciousness swept over him was a single red eye bearing three tomoe.

Norio bit down as he trudged like a tortoise now that his body was no longer producing adrenaline he was beginning to feel the wear and tear he had inflicted on himself. His legs shook each time his feet struck the ground. It took a substantial amount of fortitude to push himself and take the next step.

His stomach growled echoing in his ears like a starved beast. His hunger was another ailment added to the list of chakra depletion and muscle soreness that would make his normally short walk home a very protracted one. One of the only things that stopped him from collapsing was the thought of falling into the soft recesses of his bed and the delectable dinner his mother had made.

Another hunger pang arose as he envisioned his mother's cooking. Alternatively, he wasn't looking forward to the scolding he was likely to receive once he got home.

"Ugh!" Norio turned to his head to the left at the sound of the disembodied grunt

Just as he did so he was shocked as the body of a Konoha shinobi fell from the trees. He had a noticeable scar across his cheek and nose. Norio had never seen him before tonight, but he knew he was a jounin. And he was unconscious.

Norio made a U-turn intending to help the man, but stopped with the emergence of a second enigma. He wore a cloak and hood that masked any details of his body and an actual mask that obscured his face. The mask itself was...unique. It was orange and decorated in black designs resembling the flicker of flames. There was a hole, centered around the right eye, that seemed to suck in all light making it appear like an obsidian doorway into an endless abyss.

"Norio Namikaze." said the man in a voice that reminded Norio of the elders of the village save for the sub level of sinister his voice carried

Norio stared at the man trying to figure out who was under the mask. He had no headband to indicate any village he might hail from and the cloak hid his body outline well.

"Who are you?"

Norio couldn't see the sneer form under the mask as the enigmatic man said, "That doesn't matter."

He took a step forward and Norio took a step in the opposite direction. He was picking up a threatening vibe from this guy.

"To make this as quick as possible don't-"

Norio turned around and bolted away.

"Run." the masked man finished.

Norio forgot his all too recent burnout session as his mind was overrun by the fight or flight response. He didn't have to know someone's identity to sense that they were bad news. Add in the fact that he was too tired to even attempt to defend himself, running became his only option. Now all he had to do was reach the hub of the village and..."Gaaaaaah!"

Norio fell forward the craggy ground tearing delicate flesh from his arms and knees. However the pain caused by the grazing flint was anulled by the immobilizing agony originating from his right calf. He used his tender bloody hands to clutch his foreleg as it spasmed excruciatingly.

He bit down hard trying to find a smidget of relief from the cramp. He reprimanded himself about how he had forgotten about one of the most common manifestations of over training.

"Dehydration, a common symptom of over training." said that voice intentionally or unintentionally mocking him.

Norio looked up, the side of his face covered in dirt from his fall, spotting the mysterious man standing over him. He imagined a malevolent smirk creep under the mask showing satisfaction at his predicament.

Norio tried to move, but found his limbs frozen. His entire body felt as dead as a cadaver and it wasn't from the lack of moisture in his muscles. Looking upwards he found himself transfixed by that dark space leading into the man's right eye. It was like a gravity well that was lowly pulling not only his attention, but **him **as well, his very consciousness. There was a feeling of light-headiness and then... nothing.

He ran his fingers under the eye hole of his mask after Norio had been pulled within. The dimension within his eye would definitely hold him until the time came.

"Now, on to step 2."

* * *

><p>Kakashi Hatake sat crosslegged at the tea table of his master, Minato was glad to have his student come visit especially given how little they saw one another since their respective promotions; Kakashi to ANBU and Minato to Hokage, the only real interaction being when Minato issued missions to his former protege.<p>

"So how have you been Kakashi?" asked Minato politely

Kakashi sighed, "I've been okay sensei. It's just I hadn't expected this sudden influx of missions."

Minato inwardly chuckled at the Obito-esque response. Indeed if there was any positive at all to be found since his other student's passing it had to be the impact on Kakashi. Ever since that fateful mission he had become less stringent in manner and even posture evidenced by his slouched position at the table.

"Sorry about that Kakashi. If if makes you fell any better I don't think you have anything coming up in the next few days." offered Minato.

Kakashi nodded before looking around the home of his master. He had been inside more than a few times so it wasn't to familiarize himself with his surroundings rather it was done as a response to the absence of another spiky haired individual.

"By the way, Sensei, where's Norio?"

Minato opened his mouth to answer, but Kushina beat him to it. She was standing at the back door letting in the crisp night air.

"Out training." she said, "Conveniently 'forgetting' that he has a curfew."

Minato was privy to Kushina's attitude when it came to Norio staying out late and felt it best to get her attention off of it to avoid any unnecessary stress.

"You should relax, Kushina. This isn't the first time he's stayed out after dark." he assured

Kushina knew Minato was right, Norio often would train late into the night, callously worrying his mother, only to turn up in his bed exhausted. No matter how many times she told him how unsafe it was for a six year old to be walking home in the dead of night he continued to do so offering only a brief, if still sincere, apology. Eventually she saw it as a lost cause given his father being such a diligent man it was only natural that it would carry over to Norio, but that didn't stop her from worrying or scolding him when he disobeyed.

She rubbed her stomach, her thoughts shifting to her other child. The medic nins had informed her that stress wasn't beneficial to her pregnancy and could even cause premature birthing.

"I'm going to fix some tea. Do you want tea, Kakashi?" she asked quickly

"Actually, I'm fi-"

"Good, I'll be right back with some in just a minute."

Kushina walked away from the door in a huff towards the refrigerator. Kakashi gave Minato a puzzled look prompting him to mouth "hormones". A knock on the door drew Minato's attention away from his student for a moment.

"Hold on, Kakashi."

Minato strolled down the hallway of his home guided by the now banging knock. He considered Jiraiya, but this knock wasn't the type one would use for a casual visit which meant it was probably business related.

Kushina held a tray with tea for Minato, Kakashi, and herself. She placed the brown cup on the table roughly, displacing the jade liquid inside. The white haired teen sweat-dropped at the disgruntled server.

"Uh...thank you, Kushina."

"No problem." she replied

Her tone made Kakashi wish Minato would return soon to ease the mounting tension.

"What's taking Minato?" she asked to no one in particular

Not catching the rhetoric Kakashi lightly scratched his temple with his finger as he answered, "I think he's talking with someone."

Kushina didn't seem to hear her husband's student as she turned while he was speaking. Kakashi was left alone. He looked down at his beverage his eyes shifting from side to side looking for anything like hidden cameras or peeping eyes.

"Well, no need to let good tea go to waste and since there's no one around." he said to himself

He pinched the top portion of his mask and pulled down...

"What?" Minato asked in disbelief

Raido hung his head low in defeat as he was forced to repeat his failure, "Sir, Norio...has been kidnapped."

Immediately Minato activated his Flying Thunder God Technique, but found his teleportation blocked. This meant either Norio had somehow deactivated the seal on the kunai he was give, which was unlikely, or he had been taken to a place where Minato could not jump into, which was even more unlikely.

'_Impossible.' _he thought.

Minato suddenly turned upon hearing the metallic clatter of the tray and the shattering of porcelain as both hit the floor. Following the path the tray took Minato found his wife looking extremely dismayed. Kakashi appeared in the hallway at the sound of a disturbance.

"What did you say?" Kushina nearly interrogated, her voice shivering with barely repressed anger.

"Kushina..." Minato said in a tone meant to soothe, but his wife would have none of it as she stepped by her husband and closer to the Konoha shinobi.

"Raido, what happened to my son?" she questioned dangerously once more.

Raido knew her fury wasn't directed at him...or was it? Either way he was growing more and more intimidated by the wrathful mother.

"He...he was kidnapped?" he repeated.

Minato intervened both as a pacifier to his wife and inquisitor to his comrade, "By who, Raido?"

The jounin closed his eyes momentarily to try and recall any distinguishing features of the man, but all he pulled was a blank. He considered telling them that, but then he'd have to contend with the Red-Habanero so he dug deeper.

Through the foggy haze of his mind he dug. He dug and he pried through any unnecessary images that stood as obstacles in his way. Soon enough the brume lifted and he saw it.

Raido's eyes opened and he met the expectant orbs of Minato and Kushina then he said, "Sharingan. The kidnapper had a Sharingan."

Kakashi ran his fingers over the portion of the headband covering his left eye as he observed his sensei and his wife. They both seemed frozen as their minds processed the abduction of their child and the possible betrayal by a kinsman.

Then it happened. It came all at once sudden...and wet. All eyes became trained on the slightly embarrassed woman with the wet spot in her dress as she shifted uncomfortably in the puddle under her feet.

"Minato." Kushina said to her husband with a blush.

As always the Yellow Flash was the first to act. He scooped his mate up bridal style. Had this been an occasion more suitable for parallels Minato might've made comparisons between the event that brought he and her so close. She had given him the same starry eye look as if her were her fairy tail knight in shining armor.

But that was if the time was appropriate. Right now he needed to be the Fourth Hokage.

"Kakashi, I need you to find Sarutobi and tell him it's time. He'll know what to do."

Kakashi nodded in understanding as Minato continued, "Raido, I want you to accompany Kakash and tell him everything that happened at the training field. Understand?"

"Sir!" both ninja responded in the affirmative. At their reassurance, Minato was gone disappearing like his namesake, far away from the village.

* * *

><p>Hiruzen Sarutobi slept soundly next to his wife, Biwako. This was a custom he did not too often enjoy when he was Hokage, but ever since Minato ascended to the status of Fire Shadow he was now able to enjoy such luxuries. Unfortunately for him he was not exempt from a certain rule: A ninja's work is never done.<p>

A knock on the door made his eyes snap open, a result of a lifetime of ninja training. Another knock made a groan escape from his leather throat.

"It's your turn to get the door." Spoke Biwako also awakened by the late night visitor.

Sarutobi respired in displeasure carrying his feet over the side of their bed. His old bones creaked audibly as he rose from his keep. The house was dark, the moonlight being the only thing providing even a minute amount of illumination. Though this wasn't an issue his senses had dulled in years, but not so much that he couldn't maneuver in the dark.

Besides he knew his own house better than anyone, so unless Alzheimer's had set in, the door was directly in front of him. Extending his arm he was pleased when he wrinkled hand brushed against cold ivory.

"Heh, no dementia yet."

Opening the door before another knock could grate his nerves Sarutobi was accosted by the Son of the White Fang and a young jounin whose name escaped him.

"Lord Hokage!" Kakashi said as soon as Sarutobi became visible.

Hiruzen saw the imperative look in the Cyclops's eye as well as beholding the fresh bruises and cuts covering his companion.

"Kakashi, what is it?"

This time the unnamed ninja spoke his voice orderly and formal yet betraying a hint of anxiousness, "Sir, there's been an incident Norio Namikaze has been abducted."

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose thinking, '_Poor Minato and Kushina.' _

Losing ones child was a traumatizing experience one he didn't wish on anyone. He didn't want to imagine the anguish if he lost Asuma. However in all honesty he didn't understand why this warranted the use of a jounin and ANBU to deliver the message.

Before he could question further Kakashi chimed in once more with, "There's more. Minato-sensei to tell you 'it's time'."

Kakashi saw the crow's feet around the Third's eyes stretch outwardly as he recognized the specific wording he and Minato were to use to signal Kushina giving childbirth.

"Biwako!" he alerted the midwife.

Tobi sat atop Hokage Mountain or more precisely Hashirama's stone head. The hubris of the Konoha citizen's to carve a representation of their past leaders into a rock face was not lost on him and neither was the irony of having the one who would destroy their home seated there like a king. All he had to do was wait.

With Norio's capture that jounin would certainly return to Minato and relay the news and that meant Kushina would be there as well. She was already an emotional woman coupled with her pregnancy and the disappearance of her son, the situation would most assuredly induce enough stress to bring about labor. Even if it wasn't, the false alarm would be real enough to convince Sarutobi and Minato that the time for her to give birth was near.

Then all he had to do was bide his time until Sarutobi received word then he would dispatch his guard to protect the host while she gave birth. After that it was only a matter of following them to the secret location. And then it would be time to enact his plan.

Tobi chortled at the simplicity of the plan and the foolishness of the puppets involved in it. That's what they all were, marionettes, being strung along by his will.

"Will." he said to himself, "Will of Fire. Hehehehehhe."

He laughed again at the paradox. It was as if the universe was telling a joke and the Leaf Village was the butt of it all. Tobi looked down at the image of the eldest Senju and said, "I must say Hashirama you did a fine job creating a village of fools."

Some movement on the street level below caught his eye. Inspecting closer he realized it was Sarutobi in full gear with Kakashi Hatake and the jounin.

He narrowed his eye in dielight, "Time to begin."

Sarutobi adjusted the arm guard of his battle uniform while staring at Raidou whose name he had learned.

"You say the man had a Sharingan?"

The scarred man nodded, "And he was very proficient in stealth. I...I couldn't even tell he was there until he was right on top of me." he admitted dejectedly.

Sarutobi put his hand on the much younger man's shoulder and gave him a look of reassurance. Being the experience leader that he was he knew he couldn't have doubtful soldiers in a crucial time.

"You can make up for that now. I want you and Kakashi to try and locate Norio using Kakashi's dogs. You'll need something with his scent so return to his home and find something suitable."

Raido felt oddly motivated by the orders. He presumed that having someone give them out with such confidence in turn provided him with that same level of certainty. Perhaps that was a trait all Kage shared, that charismatic ability to make people feel that they could accomplish anything. The Third and the Fourth certainly exhibited this skill.

"Sir, if I may ask? What will you be doing?" interjected Kakashi.

Sarutobi wasn't bothered by the inquiry and informed dauntlessly, "I'll join you soon. If this 'someone' managed to sneak inside the village and kidnap a civilian I want to know how and why, but first I have to assemble the guard to escort Biwako."

At this time his wife appeared form their home dressed in more appropriate attire. Flipping her hair like someone of younger years she said, "Just make sure they keep up Hiruzen. Kami knows you men can be such slowpokes. Also we need to pick up Taji, my assistant."

The Professor allowed herself a marginal chuckle at the spunk his wife had managed to retain over the years, "I take it you're ready then?"

A curt nod was all he received, but he understood it all the same. Sarutobi then looked at the two subordinates and said, "Now that everyone has their assignments...MOVE!"

Everyone dispersed to complete their tasks unknowingly being watched by the orchestrator of this entire ordeal.

"Now, Senju we're about to find out if you Will of Fire upholds against my plain old 'will'."

* * *

><p>Norio stared upward into what he thought was the sky. At least it looked like the sky, it was black after all but it lacked the shining pin holes leaving a river of ebony suspended above him.<p>

He was reduced to laying because his entire body had pretty much rebelled against him. After the initial cramp in his calf more and more of his muscles erupted in painful spasms. This made him wish he had not zoned out when his father had lectured him on pushing ones self too hard. Although truth be told he wasn't sure he wanted to explore the place he was trapped in.

This world was madness. It consisted solely of individual floating cubes levitating in the air of the abyss. They stretched as far as the eye could see which wasn't very far given the perpetual darkness. He might have considered this a fun place to play, leaping from block to block forward into the unknown, but that thought was quickly crushed with the fact that this was a prison first and foremost.

A seemingly spacious prison, but a prison none the less. The only difference being the prisoner's only crime was staying out past curfew. What jailer would deem that punishable by imprisonment here was beyond him.

Speaking of, he was still at a loss as to who the man was. Not many men would dare take such a direct action against his father especially not on his home territory. Even his most vindictive foes such Iwagakure lacked the gall or more likely stupidity to pull such a stunt. So either this man was an idiot, exceedingly brave, insane, or a combination of the three.

He just hoped...no he knew his father could handle a courageously, demented moron. He had to.

"Waaaaahhh!" Kushina cried out in pain as she felt another contraction rip through her

Minato grabbed his wife's hand and winced as she took it in a vice grip that rubbed the bones of his knuckles together. Still he knew it was a meager sensation not worth mentioning when taking into account the discomfort Kushina was enduring.

Minato placed his free hand over the seat as his wife let out another wail of pain, "Kushina, you have to hold midwives are on the way." he said.

He didn't know why he said that he just wanted to talk to Kushina so that she would have something to distract her from the pain. Apparently, however, Kushina didn't appreciate his efforts as she released his hand roughly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face.

"I don't need a mid-wife I need drugs, Minato! DRUGS!" she shouted.

Thankfully another contraction caused her to release his hand. Unfazed by his wife's outburst he refocused on maintaining the seal. He really hoped he hadn't lied when he told Kushina that help was on the way because trying to comfort her as well as prevent a demonic entity from resurrecting was seriously dividing his attention.

"You can rest easy now Minato. I'm here." said a familiarly elder voice.

Minato turned at the doorway to catch the wife of the Third Hokage walk inside accompanied by a woman with shoulder lenght dark coloured hair and eyes. They both wore standard medical outfits with the girl wearing a poufy hat. She seemed appropriately nervous which was a stark contrast to her senpai who had no trace of indecisiveness on her face.

"Glad you could make it." teased Minato an attempt to ease the tense situation.

Biwako took her position at Kushina's feet, "Was that sarcasm, boy?"

Minato grinned ingenuously responding with, "Of course not."

Kushina moaned in agony once more bringing the two back to the situation at hand, "Enough banter! Baby. Coming. Now!"

The message was received loud and clear as the two fell back into their respective roles.

"Taji, get me a rag and some warm water." ordered Biwako prompting the young girl to obey, "Minato, you keep that seal intact. This baby will be the least of our worries if you can't do that." she then turned to Kushina, "And you dear get the best part; you get to push."

Kushina's cries in the troughs of pain flew in every direction outside the secret compound. The stoic ANBU were stiff under the ear-splitting sounds coming from within especially so given that they were dead.

Tobi stood over the body of the last defeated ninja staring at the entrance with a bit of...disappointment. It wasn't at the ease of penetrating the barrier protecting the area or the skill level of the guard's on duty. It was the fact that this was it, this would be the penultimate chapter in the saga of the Senju. Tonight all his preparation and planning would come to a head something he had invested fully into and so it left him with a sense of...longing.

However this unexpected feeling of want for past conflict was not a large enough deterrent to stop him from releasing the Nine-Tailed Fox and destroying Konoha as he walked down the dark hallway towards his destiny. Envisioning **his **world.

"Push Kushina!" Biwako urged on.

Taji was at Kushina's head applying the wet cloth to her forehead and wiping sweat from her brow. Minato was busy with the seal with every push Kushina gave Kyubi seemed to do the same. Kushina, of course, had the most arduous task of childbirth.

The four worked in tandem to try and make this unusual pregnancy ran as smoothly as possible. Every scream caused Minato's heartbeat to quicken drawing his attention to the face of his wife which was wrinkled in pain.

"Come on, Kushina. You're almost there." whispered Taji into Kushina's ear

She was rewarded with a cry form her patient with an extra high pitch. Minato's focus slipped for a milisecond before he refortified the seal once more.

"Are you sure she's okay?" I've never heard her scream out like this before?"

"I wouldn't go around admitting that." said Biwako under her breath.

"What?" Minato questioned again.

Not looking at the worried father and husband she admonished him, "Just focus on the seal. Everything's goingt o be fine she's-"

Biwako's pause made Minato wary as well as her assistant.

"What? She's what, Biwako?" he solicited.

Ignoring his question Biwako gave Taji a hard look before saying, "Taji come here, I see a head!"

The junior medic-nin removed the cloth from Kushina's head and joined her master. She saw the concerned look in the Hokage's eyes, but remembered her teachings. 'As a mid-wife your first priority is the baby then the mother and if he's present maybe the father." Biwako had drilled into her head.

Kneeling beside the other mid-wife Taji saw the blonde head of hair poking out.

"What's happening?" Minato probed once more in response to their shared silence.

Though Biwako stayed silent Taji's own maternal instincts took effect and she answered, "The baby's coming out!"

"Aaaaaggh!" Kushina shouted as she pushed once more.

"One more time, Kushina! You can do it!"

Kushina couldn't tell who said that and she didn't care, but she did want them to shut the hell up. Why wouldn't everybody just shut up and stop trying to comfort her? She was in labor the only comfort that would help her was the medicinal kind.

God, it hurt. She wanted nothing more than to just stop and rest if only for a minute. But then it hit her. She remembered the time she spent reading to Naruto late at night, dragging Minato and Norio to pick out clothes, and the fun she and Minato had picking a name all of that lead to this. To this pain, but she supposed that made it worthwhile. All the horrible morning sickness and the bloating, all of it was for this moment.

Weren't you supposed to hurt for the ones you loved no matter how unbearable? It put it all in perspective; she wanted to meet her son. She wanted to meet Naruto so she pushed harder and harder until...

"Waaah!" Kushina heard a cry and it was the most beautiful thing to bounce from her eardrums

Everyone might as well not have been in the room as she laid eyes on her blonde haired boy. He was squirming about wildly in the arms of Taji as if he wanted to show what he was capable of right out of the womb. She smiled at him instantly being washed over by the automatic "love response" that accompanied birth to ones child.

She felt a loving hand wipe a strand of hair from her soaked face. Looking up she saw Minato smiling down at her. He took her hand into his and said, "You did it."

"We did it." she countered squeezing his hand weakly. She meant it they had managed to, as a team, bring a second child into the world, "But how about you have the next one?" she joked.

They both shared a chuckle together. It was endearing to see the couple smile at one another so tenderly after having their second child. It helped, if only briefly, to ease the hurt they felt at losing the first one. It also...was not to be.

Minato heard the bodies hit the floor but no screams. They turned to look at where Taji and Biwako had been standing. In their places was their son held in the arm by a hooded masked man.

"That was a clever trick. Carving the cave into a maze to throw off any tails." he said ominously.

Minato stood up quickly with a look of bloody murder in his eyes causing the intruder to say, "Not so fast Yellow Flash. I have your son so you wouldn't want to startle me."

The not so subtle threat managed to halt Minato causing him to glare at the mystery man. His mind raced through possibilities of the man behind the mask. Iwa and possibly Kumo were his first thoughts, but his gut told him otherwise.

"Who are you?" he said in a low voice. He had to get him talking, if anything it would provide a distraction while he came with a course of action.

The cloaked individual tilted his head slightly as if observing them. "Strange, Norio asked me the same thing."

Tobi saw Minato clench his fist in rage and bore his teeth while his wife let out a much weaker response offering only a soft, "Naruto." Her eyes were glued to him they sparkled with a myriad of emotions: contempt and fear being the most prominent.

"Minato, the name of your technique is the Flying Thunder God." Minato's eyebrows knitted together, but Tobi knew he was at a loss as to his point so he said, "I wonder...can you actually fly?"

He activated his Time-Space Migration distorting the space around him into a swirl resembling water being sucked into the drain. Minato reacted on instinct using his flashy reflexes to cross the distance between he and his son in mere moments. He stretched out his hand in a desperate attempt to make contact.

The room spun and melded into an unrecognizable mesh. He had the distinct feeling of his stomach leaving his body making him want to vomit while he experienced the sensation of being pulled in every direction at once. It lasted for the span of two seconds and the next thing he knew he was falling.

Gravity was pulling him back to the Earth the air pushing into his face. Naruto was there too falling towards their deaths. He reached out and grabbed his infant son form the sky and brought him close to his chest. With him secure he could assess the situation which didn't take the analytical ability of Shikaku to figure out what was going on. He was high in altitude and descending rapidly, too fast to break only a few bones and too high to survive to complain.

Teleporting back to Kushina would kill him as well due to the inertia.

'_There's only one chance.' _he thought.

He jumped through time-space carrying his son with him as he summoned himself to their home in Konoha. He landed in the soft bed bouncing back into the air as the springs absorbed his energy. Wasting no time he was on his feet and placing Naruto safely on the bed.

"Sorry to leave you like this, Naruot, but Mommy's gone and gotten herself into trouble. Again. And I have to go save her. Again." he explained.

Covering the amazingly still sleeping baby in warm blankets he ran his hand through his golden hair. Despite the graveness of the circumstances surrounding his family at the moment Minato found time to smile at his son.

Tobi materialized back inside the safehouse taking just a second to peer at the bodies of the two mid-wife's their respective pools of blood combining. Kushina was still staring at the spot where he had pulled Minato outside skepticism still fresh on her face.

"That should keep him busy for a moment or two. Now Kushina, let's get started."

Kushina would have normally rebuked this man with her colorful vocabulary followed by a defiant bid to physically resist him. However that was only viable if she hadn't just given birth. Now she could only lay susceptible as she was pulled into his teleportation jutsu. In the next eye blink Kushina's soft bed was replaced by hard stone and the feeling of nausea.

She observed her surroundings and found that she was in the middle of a pond.

"Now, let's begin." said her enemy.

She stared into the hole in his mask before it appeared. A sharingan, red with three circulating tomoe. It's gaze was mesmerizing keeping her spellbound while he infiltrated her mind. This was the easy part, the slightly more difficult portion came when he encountered the seal itself. It was a robust and versatile fuinjutsu something he expected from the prowess of the Uzumaki Clan.

However this meant nothing no matter how well protected his weapon was he would not be denied. Kushina arched her back and opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She could feel the seal breaking, the demonic chakra began to flow and take the shape of fox ears around her head. It bubbled burning and healing her skin.

The pain made her recent birthing seem invalid as her very cells seemed to be screaming out. The crimson aura boiled as the tails formed: One, Two, Four, Six and then...it happened.

"Ah, there you are." said Tobi.

The surrounding area was engulfed in a dome of ebony and blood red charka that seemed to strike the ground like a lightning bolt sent from the gods. It expanded in a wide area throwing boulders aside like paper, snapping trees in half as if they were twigs, and burning the air like a great flame.

When it finally subside there was no longer a lake having been dried up by the sheer intensity of the chakra. The trees that had been unlucky to have come in contact with the foul energy had all their leaves die and fall off while the bark coloration changed to a bleached white.

All this would pale in comparison, however, to the monstrous beast looming over the land a veritable engine of destruction. The colossal fox let out a savage roar that chilled the very air and made any remaining animals flee in horror.

"Fascinating creature." Tobi said before looking at the former host.

Kushina stirred feebly her body covered in sweat. There existed no word or combination of words that could accurately describe her physical state at the moment with her blinks requiring the utmost effort. Giving birth and then having a demon ripped out of you was a series of event that would spell doom for an ordinary human. Only her lineage kept her clinging to the world of the living.

"Goodbye, Kushina. I won't be seeing you again."

Then he was gone keeping his word and abandoning the defenseless Kushina with a volatile entity. Despite its possessed state the creature retained enough sentience to recognize the person it was imprisoned inside for years. Now no longer bound to the meat sack it raised its massive claw to extinguish the life that made his own so constrained.

Slamming it down, its strike split the Earth causing a large crater. Some would call that overkill, but it was not enough retribution in the Nine-Tails eyes. It lifted its paw; it wanted to see the bloody smear Kushina had been reduced to.

Then its ears twitched as its animalistic senses detected something speaking, "You can't stay out of trouble for two minutes, can you?"

Looking down it saw a speck with sunny hair holding its former jinchuriki. He was about to obliterate both humans if they hadn't vanished into thin air.

Kakashi, Raido, and the Third Hokage stood atop Hokage Mountain. They had been unsuccessful in locating Norio or his kidnapper. Sarutobi had directed them to the monument in the hopes of gaining a different perspective. This perspective had yet to come however as they had been up there for two hours with nothing grabbing their attention until Pakkun spoke up.

"Hey, look down there." said the miniature pug.

His master peered over the edge and spotted a man in a cloak warp into the heart of the village. The streets were dark and windows black as the villagers slept comfortably, but he could make the man out. He seemed to be moving his hands in specific patterns.

'_Handsigns? Wait, I know that jutsu, but what could he be summoning here?'_

He slammed his palm into the ground and a billowing tower of smoke shot into the sky rushing into the alleyways and around the corners covering every inch of the village in a dense fog. Out of this smokescreen came something that would stick with Kakashi for the rest of his life. A claw, a muzzle containing teeth the size of a car, and finally nine tails that swayed spasmodically in every which direction.

Its sudden appearance caused buildings to be crushed and pushed aside as its bulk demanded room. The three shinobi stared in consternation at the arrival of the infamous Nine-Tailed Fox.

'_No, the defenses failed!' _thought the Third

The two younger shinobi were paralyzed by the sight in front of them. Hearing of the monster on the lips of drunken villagers and actually beholding it were two very different things and personally Kakashi preferred the intoxicated talk of a drunk to this.

Sarutobi, however, remained level-headed and was the first to say, "Kakashi, get to the escape route out of the village."

The future Copy-nin blinked prior to muttering a "But."

"No, buts. You may be ANBU, but you're still a child. Now go!"

Kakashi gave one last look of uncertainty at the God of Shinobi. He was split between following orders and his own moral code. He had made a promise not too long ago to never leave his comrades behind, but now he was being told to do just that by a superior in both rank and experience. So did he listen?

"Kakashi, do as he says." said the voice of his sensei

The three shinobi stared in front of them to see the Yondaime standing atop his won head on the monument. He was wearing his flame pattern coat with the kanji for "Fourth" on the back.

"Minato, where's Kushina?" asked the Third

"She's with Naruto. They're safe..for now, but they won't be for long if I don't deal with the giant fox destroying our home."

Hiruzen noticed he used "I" and not "we". He couldn't fathom a single man ridding the village of such a catastrophe, but then again.

"Okay, Raid, come with me we're going to evacuate the village. Kakashi, get to that exit!" ordered Sarutobi before leaping away.

Kakashi however didn't obey. For some reason he was rooted to the ground not by fear, but a sense of foreboding like he should take this time to say what he had to to his sensei.

"Sensei, I-"

A thunderous roar ripped through the airwaves. The Kyubi had spotted them both atop the mountain and had opened its massive jaw. Black chakra was charged in front of its maw compressing into a threatening orb. Wind picked up as air was sucked in the direction of the ball which was now humming a perilous sound.

"Kakashi! Leave NOW!" demanded the Fire Shadow.

He held up his special kunai horizontally it floated away from his palm ans suspended itself a few inches in front of him. Kakashi knew when his sensei was preparing his time-space barrier, but was skeptical as to whether he could direct something so massive.

"Sensei...don't die!" Kakashi told him before departing just as the fox launched its devastating attack. It flew towards Minato with impending doom intent on consuming him along with mountain he stood on. Kakashi knew he would escape the blast radius in time and closed his eyes as his sight was engulfed by a bright light.

Then just like that it was gone. The light had vanished in a manner of seconds and the sound of an earth shattering explosion behind him caused him to turn and see a small mushroom cloud form in the distance. He turned back to his master and saw him still facing the Kyubi with his kunai hovering in front of him.

He gawked at his sensei's ability but remembered his orders and turned to leave. Jumping off he couldn't resist giving Minato one last look and saw him standing bravely with his cloak fluttering in the breeze.

Minato eyed the fox demon before him. The last attack was potent enough to take him and a good chunk of the village with him which meant that the battle couldn't stay here. It would only extinguish more lives. He had to move the fox from the village somehow.

Sarutobi smashed a rock with his signature staff that was ready to crush Raido as he assisted a fallen civilian. The jounin gave a hastily thanks before slinging the citizens arm over his neck and taking off. It was pandemonium in the streets of Konoha. People shoved and trampled one another to try and escape the leviathan that was demolishing their home.

He couldn't actually expect them to behave otherwise nor could he hope to contain this level of panic. All he could hope to do was direct the flow away from the threat until they could find a way to...

His thoughts were interrupted when a toad the size of the Kyubi itself appeared out of thin air in a puff of smoke. He recognized it as Minato's and Jiraiya's strongest summoning Gamabunta. It held the beast under its crushing weight causing it to writhe angrily as it attempted to free itself.

'_Minato, what are you doing?' _

Minato stood on the head of the chief toad and said, "Gama, can you hold him for a minute while I prepare to teleport?"

The boss grunted before saying, "Sure, but that's all I can give you. This thing isn't a lightweight."

Minato saw the truth in this and it brought up a major problem. Even if he could move the fox away from the village what was to stop it from killing him and Bunta and then continue it's rampage once more. Especially since that man in the mask was still out there. He had to find a way to permanently stop it.

"Wait, there's..." he paused as he thought about his option. It was risky and there was no guarantee it would succeed, but what choice did he have at the moment. His thoughts rested on Kushina, and Naruto and Norio and that man. Someone had to be here to stop him if he ever showed up again.

"Alright, Gamabunta, I'm jumping." he said, _'But I'm bringing someone else along with me.'_

Minato activated his technique and the two gargantuan creatures were gone.

They reappeared in an isolated area far enough away where no one could be hurt. Minato's legs buckled once they arrived.

'_Used up a lot of chakra on that one, but that's alright.' _he looked to his side at his wife, '_I brought back up.'_

"Kushina." he called, "I need you to activate your chakra chains."

The red head awoke, having fallen unconscious, as her eyes slowly took in the environment. She was still by Naruto, but they were no longer in their home instead they had relocated to a forest setting. Naruto seemed to sense the abrupt change as well as he began to sob loudly.

"Minato, what's going on?" she questioned weakly.

"No time to explain. I need you to activate your chakra chains, to hold the Kyubi."

She looked over her shoulder to see Gamabunto struggling with her former charge and instantly realized the seriousness of the situation. She raised her arm slowly and focused. Soon giant shackles of chakra erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the Nine-Tails. They then began to tighten and pull it to the ground confining him.

This gave Gamabunta a bit of help, but the Fox was still fighting.

"Alright Minato, it's done, but I can't hold this for long." she revealed.

Minato stood up and ran through some handsigns. A pedastel arose from the ground surrounding on all sides by ceremonial candles. In its madness, the fox noticed this and began to thrash harder pushing Gamabunta to the limit.

"Okay, give me Na-"

"I see what you plan on doing Minato, but I can't allow that." said a disdainful voice

Tobi appeared in front of the Namikaze appearing as cryptic as ever. Minato silently cursed at his appearance at such a crucial juncture. Kushina's chakra was running out fast and Gamabunta couldn't hold the fox for much longer.

"Luckily, I have a trump card for just this occasion."

Once again the man had confounded the sharp Hokage with his speech, but he had learned that his actions were more dangerous so he paid close attention as the space around is eye began to bend and purl. Something was coming out as a definite human shape appeared...and it had black hair.

Norio fell forward almost immediately his body still not recovered from his training. His descent however was halted by Tobi grabbing him around the neck and brandishing a kunai with his free hand. Norio was covered in scratches with bloody hands and torn clothing. His eyes were full of trepidation at being thrust into this foreign environment so suddenly.

"Dad." he said in a pleading voice.

"You bastard, what have you done to him?" demanded Minato.

Kushina laid eyes on her son, causing her attention to lapse for a moment, giving the fox the opportunity to bite down on the shoulder of Gamabunta. Blood gushed out as the razor teeth dug into his toad flesh. Gama fought to keep himself from returning to this homeworld.

"Minato, if you're going to do something, you need to hurry!" The toad cried

Back at ground level Tobi continued; "Don't fret, Minato, he was like this when I found him, but I'm warning you; do not take one step."

He held the blade to the boy's neck to show how serious he was. Minato gritted his teeth due to his hate for the man and at his inability to do anything. Even he wasn't fast enough to cross the distance in time to stop him from slitting Norio's throat.

'_Dammit, if only he had...wait a minute.' _

It was worth a shot. Earlier he had been unable to do so but perhaps now that Norio was right in front of him he could manage it.

"Norio, don't move." he told his son

Tobi tilted his head once more curious as to what his adversary was planning. He knew that Minato was not foolhardy enough to try and rush him while he had his child hostage so what could he be...

He was interrupted when Minato disappeared from sight and appeared right beside him holding his wrist tightly before he could react.

"But, how?" inquired Tobi.

"I gave Norio one of my special kunai earlier. You somehow blocked my jutsu before, but not this time. Now..." Minato eyed with a look meant to kill then drove his free hand into his rib cage while saying, "Contract Seal."

The markings of a fuinjutsu spread across Tobi's body and he responded by phasing through Minato's hand and leaving Norio to be caught by his father. Tobi looked to the side as the Kyubi roared. He had felt his control slip away once that seal was placed on him and now it seemed the fox was free.

"You managed to wrest control of the Kyubi away from me. Impressive." he congratulated Minato.

"That's not all I did." he said before disappearing in a yellow flash and reappearing right in front of Tobi with two Rasengan orbs in his hands. Tobi couldn't activate his jutsu fast enough and was barrelled into by the Fourth's attack.

"Time Space: Rasengan Barrage." he yelled blowing Tobi backwards with incredible force

He bounced and skid across the ground until he crashed into a tree cracking the bark slightly. A groan escaped his lips as he refocused his eye on Minato. A low growl followed that as he tried to piece together how Minato had managed to use his jutsu on him.

Looking at his wrist he found the answer. The black squiggly lines of a seal snaked around his wrist. He chuckled to himself before it elevated into full blown laughter as he stood up against the three seemingly unfazed. Minato's eyes widened in shock at the durability displayed at recovering so soon from two Rasengans.

"That was impressive Minato. You truly are worthy of the title Fourth Hokage. Not only wounding me, but freeing the Kyubi from my control as well. Very impressive. A shame though...that you couldn't save your son."

For the third time Minato was confused at the mystery man's speech pattern until he heard the familiar "sssss" of an explosive tag. He spun around and found one pressed on the back of Norio.

"Norio!" he yelled activating his jutsu again. Norio had the time to turn his head over his shoulder before his eyes were blinded by the light of the explosion.

Kushina witnessed the entire scene having her mood lighten at seeing her husband triumph over that devil and then darken when he revealed one last trick.

"Minato! Norio!" she screamed.

She felt her heart go dead at seeing her son explode in front of her. Sadness so unbearable she considered releasing the Kyubi and allowing it to end her life then and there.

"Uggh!" a grunt drew her attention to the side as Minato zipped back into reality with Norio close against his chest.

His cloak had been singed slightly but he had no major injuries as far as she could tell. He slid right by her as he rematerialized. She wanted to go and hug them both, but then her eyes widened when she saw it. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes at the blood covering Minato's chest, but it wasn't his blood.

"Norio!" she cried.

Minato got on bended knee as he held his son in his arms. If he was a mess before he was in shambles now. His right arm was horribly burned with black pieces of flesh smoking and peeled back to reveal his meat area around his left eye was enveloped in blood but she couldn't see the damage because his hair obscured his eye. The only one she could see was closed shut.

Minato held his boy in his arms and he shivered in rage. He wasn't fast enough. For the first time in his life...he wasn't fast enough. He whipped his head around to face the one responsible for this and screamed out, "Coward! Using a child as a shield and then casting him aside as a human bomb!"

He wanted the kill the man. To make him feel unbearable hurt and agony in every fiber of his being. To rip him, to break and rend him in every way possible. Perhaps then he could get a taste of the pain he was feeling. This unbridled hatred for the masked man was only increased a hundredfold when he nonchalantly said, "We all have our vices, Minato."

After that he fled. Running away like the coward he was.

He heard his wife sniffling at his side and he wanted to do the same, but he knew that to do so would make him lose sight of the bigger goal. He was still the Hokage and as such he had a duty.

He placed Norio beside Kushina who immediately took him into her bosom and smothered him with her tears.

He stood up and looked at the scene before him. He would be lying if he said he was completely focused on the task before him. His family had been through so much tonight and yet...it wasn't over.

"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!" he said clapping his hands together.

The white haired, purple skinned spectre was summoned to this plain of existence floating behind him. Its body was covered by a ghostly sheet and in its torso was a soul. Blue and entangled in the long hair of the reaper connecting to Minato.

"Kushina, I'm going to seal the chakra of the Nine-Tails into Naruto. Someone has to stop that man with the mask. Don't argue with me; this is what it must be."

Kushina was silent as Minato unveiled his plan. Of course she wanted to protest, of course she wanted to tell Minato he was being stubborn, but she couldn't. She was in too much grief and besides, she had one more son to think about.

"Okay, Minato, do it." She said, determined.

Minato nodded and the hand of the Shinigami reached through his chest and stretched into the arm of the demon fox. With a great deal of strength and willpower Minato ripped the chakra from the fox. It was red and violent just like its master fighting to return to its host, but the Reaper was too strong and would have none of it and pulled into into Minato.

His lurched forward as the seal appeared on his stomach. The chakra was also weighing him down being much denser than he had expected especially given the small amount of his own chakra.

With half of its chakra stolen from it the Kyubi shrunk drastically in size finally giving Gamabunta the rest he deserved, "Took you long enough." he said before poofing out of existence.

Seeing what Minato had done, Kushina's chakra decided it the most opportune time to leave her and her chains loosened considerably from around the Kyubi. Unfortunately the Kyubi had been watching the entire ordeal. He knew what the Fourth was planning to do and who he was planning to be sealed within and he would have none of it.

For too long he had his freedom stripped from him by the Uzumaki Clan, "Never again!"

He raised his claw intending to end the life of the infant blonde and secure his freedom forever. He drove it forward inching closer to destroy his would-be prison. Minato and Kushina reacted however and threw themselves in the path of his attack.

"No!" he yelled.

His single claw had pierced the bodies of them both easily, but it was only a hair's breath away from the child. It was so close that the blood from their bodies dripped onto his forehead. The two didn't feel the claw however; every part of their bodies had gone numb. So even though blood poured from their mouths and oozed from the gaping holes in their chests they felt no pain.

Minato used the last of his energy to place a hand on his child's belly, "Naruto... I want you to know that everything I did tonight, everything...**we** did tonight was for your sake." he looked over at the immobile form of Norio, "and your brother's."

"Naruto...ugh...I want you to know that mommy and daddy love you very much...and we're sorry we won't be there to... to watch you grow into a fine young man." Kushina said.

"But, we're sure you'll be a great one and a great ninja on top of that. Just don't be like your mom...and not study...oh and make sure you listen to your elders too. She was...never good at that either."

A tear dropped from Kushina's eyes as she began to cry mixing with the blood on Naruto's forehead she sniffled and said, "Eat right and and sleep a lot,...but not to...too much you don't want to get lazy."

Minato turned to look over at his eldest son and Kushina did the same, "And Norio I...I know I might not have been the best father and...I'm sorry for that. I know this may sound selfish, but please...watch over your brother he's going to need you."

"Norio...Naruto most important of all." Kushina followed.

"We love you." they said in unison before passing away.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that took a long time. I just hope I managed the characters and their reactions well. Anyway can anyone guess what happened to Norio? Leave it in a review or pm me your predictions or just tell me what you thought of the story as a whole. Until next time!<strong>


	4. Goodbye and Farewell

**I'd like to thank everyone that favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story because it helps give me that extra push to keep writing. Once again thanks goes out my beta-reader (you know who you are) for editing this story for any flaws in characterization, grammar, and the like. Now then onto the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Goodbyes and Farewell<strong>

"_When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." - Kahlil Gibran_

Minato and Kushina opened their eyes in unison. They were surrounded by white nothingness on all sides that seemed to stretch into eternity. There was a feeling of ambiguity as the couple inexplicably stood on a solid surface that shouldn't't exist. There was a strange warmth blanketing them unusual given the fact they were supposed to be among the deceased. Kushina looked at her husband expecting to find a bloody gaping hole through his chest. She was astonished to find his torso free of any perforation. She felt her own chest and found her fingers halted by soft skin and bone. Confusion understandably spread across her features as a rush of questions flooded her mind. Was she dead? If so, where was she? Limbo?

Her lips parted to discuss how confounded she was with Minato, but his response wasn't what she expected. He was smiling, beaming even and it had an effect on her. It was the same effect she had whenever he gave her that broad all encompassing grin. Her doubts and woes melted away instantly and everything felt limpid.

"Hi." he said simply

"Hi." she replied equally as facile

Kushina pushed a strand of hair behind her ear a girlish blush rising on her cheeks, "So, this is it, huh?"

Minato rubbed the back of his head making her think of Norio. Thinking of her boy caused her heart to ache only to be amplified by the escorting memory of her baby Naruto.

"Yeah, I guess so." he replied bringing her back from her pain

Kushina looked around the snowy infinite void slowly, not because she looking any thing in particular, just because the place seemed so...final. She had never been one to contemplate what the end of the road would look like always being a person who lived in the moment not giving much thought to the past or future. Though now that it seemed she had finally reached the end of the journey called life it was impossible to ignore.

"I don't think this was covered in our vows, Minato."

"You want a divorce?" he teased

Kushina pushed his shoulder lightly telling him, "Shut up."

She sighed happily and stared into his eyes. He was reflected in hers and she in his, they were the only ones in each other's world at that moment.

"I think we should go." he finally said

"Where?" she asked

Minato pointed to his right into the distance directing her attention to the vast expanse that was common place here. At first she didn't understand what she was pointing at until it happened. A brilliant yellow light sparkled to life growing outwards. As the effulgent glow increased in size it began to startle Kushina causing her to step back.

"What is that, Minato?"

The shrewd Hokage scratched the top of his head as his face took on a thoughtful expression. He crossed his arms and furrowed his face in concentration making him look constipated.

"It's hard to explain. I guess you can call it a loophole."

"What?"

Minato knew he couldn't be too descript about what this "loophole" entailed because the longer they stayed stationery the harder it would be to move on so he decided to cover the most crucial details. He pointed his thumb at the radiant light and said, "This doorway, for the lack of a better term, will allow us to see our children again."

Kushina's face brightened almost as much as the "loophole" at the possibility of holding Naruto and Norio in her arms again. She wanted to kiss Minato for doing the impossible and finding a way to reunite them as a family.

"So we can come back to life? That's great, Minato!" she began to walk jovially towards the light, "What are we waiting for?"

Minato placed a hand on her shoulder causing Kushina to stay. She examined him and found his eyes looking at her apologetically. Kushina didn't have to ask what the look was for she recognized the gaze he used every time he delivered bad news. Distinctive only because he so rarely delivered bad news, but when he did it was often crushing.

"Kushina, I'm sorry. There is no jutsu that can return us to the way before, at least not **exactly **as we were." he revealed softly letting her mind adjust to the harsh truth, "You can't cheat death. This can only ensure that we get one more moment with them."

Kushina's heart dropped at the word "moment" with her upbeat demeanor deflating soon after. How was she supposed to impart important lessons to her son's in one fleeting moment? How could she tell them to eat healthy, wash, get plenty of sleep and so much more in so short of time?

"What?" she almost screamed, "How am I supposed to be a mother in the span of one second?"

Minato knew the question was rhetorical. Kushina was just verbally expressing her discourse at the cruel reality of the situation. She had grown up without her parent's and the fact that she would never be the mother to her children that she never had was tearing her up on the inside. She looked like she was on the verge of bawling up until Minato placed both his hands on her shoulders affectionately. Hjs eyes held a steely quality as he stated, "You can't."

Kushina's tears seemed to freeze in her ducts at the blunt reply. She was expecting comfort not what he said next, "You can't be the mother we both know you would have been and I can't fulfill my role as a father. It just...can't happen."

Minato knew his brusque response was very despondent and a huge antithesis to his normal "never say die" mentality, but Kushina needed to hear what he had to say especially so now that they were at a crossroads.

"We have to make a choice, Kushina. Do we pass on and leave our sons with nothing or do we take this chance to see them again no matter how terse our time together is?"

Minato let his ultimatum sink in watching as Kushina's expression shifted from sadness to one of contemplation. Her mind weighed the pros and cons, but once she replaced her emotions with logic she knew her answer. Even one minute was preferable to an eternity of never seeing her offspring again.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Minato's features allayed into their normal affable state. His hands fell from her shoulders and Minato turned to face the shining exist. He held his hand out for her to take.

'_Always the gentleman._' she thought

Without hesitation she intertwined her delicate fingers with his. Then they turned to walk. At the first step Kushina felt nothing appeased by Minato's presence, but as she grew closer she felt an aversion to the lambent beam. Perhaps it was human nature or maybe she was just being childish.

She felt Minato's hand squeeze her own in reassurance having sensed her demurral. She took her hand and repositioned it under his armpit and interlocked her fingers and finally she put her head on his shoulder.

'_Much better.' _

Minato felt his wife place her head on his shoulder in an attempt to pacify her mounting fear. Because of her bravado it was a strange seeing her act in such a vulnerable fashion. She could be brave in the face of her own kidnapping and could face down 50 ninja without flinching, but it seemed even she had her fears. Even he had to admit however that he was a little apprehensive about moving into the light.

He had good reason to believe his plan would succeed, but there was always room for error in any plan no matter how well thought out. However he didn't show it for Kushina's sake. It was his duty after all, to be strong for his wife when she herself was doubtful.

Before they stepped into the blinding light that emanated mystery Minato said, "Kushina, I love you."

The light became too luminous and engrossed the couple in its rays, but before the light consumed them and their consciousness slipped away into alien territory Kushina managed to reply, "I love you, too."

* * *

><p>Inoichi Yamanaka had a low steeple resting his forearms on his crossed legs. It was a posture he was taught to take when he wanted to appear confident, but not arrogant.<p>

Instead of the florid armchair he usually sat in he was seated in an unimpressive stool. The room he was located in was equally bland, his desk was cluttered with papers and folders completely hiding the picture of he and his wife. To those that had visited him in his previous establishment they would notice that the room was noticeably smaller than his regular office.

The relocation of all his files, and any other effects related to his other profession, to his home was the result of the Kyubi attack. His office along with many other buildings were demolished in the beasts rampage.

He put that out of his mind though, right now he had to focus on the person in front of him. He would be his fifth patient today, many people had come to him seeking his counsel due to his "expertise" in dealing with the mind. Their adverse reactions to the attack was expected, but this particular patient was proving to be a bit...difficult.

"Norio, how are you feeling today?" he opened

The boy held up his head, left eye covered by a large medical padding taped in place. A forlorn expression drooping his features and his back bending into a slouch with flexed-forward shoulders. His eyes met Inoichi's before averting back to the floor leaving his question unanswered.

This had been the routine of theirs ever since Sandaime had recommended the boy to him three days ago. Inoichi would start by asking Norio a question only to receive silence. His refusal to establish any sense of rapport made their sessions uneventful and a bit frustrating.

However, that wasn't going to deter Inoichi. He had encountered resistance from patients before and knew that it took time for them to open up. He couldn't be too aggressive but not too lax either. Moderation was the key.

He reached over into the sea of paper and miraculously pulled out a white sheet of paper that wasn't crumbled, torn, or otherwise. He magically conjured a pencil as well and placed the items in front of him. Norio didn't seem to care about his movement as his glazed orbs stayed locked on the floor unmoving.

"Norio, I'd like to try something new today. I want you to draw something on this paper. It can be anything you can think of, anything at all. Can you do that for me?"

Norio's head moved in a manner that Inoichi had to accept as a response, but he was unable to decipher exactly what it communicated. So he slid the paper and pencil over to Norio and hoped it was a "Yes". Norio didn't even deign a glance at them his eyes remaining fixed in place. It was only after several minutes did his right shoulder twitch.

His shoulder movement meant he had attempted to move his right arm, but in doing so was reminded of his condition. It was wrapped tightly in bandages and medical gauze, covering everything from his fingertips, to his elbow, and up his short sleeve. His injured arm was held up by a sling to support it.

He used his left arm to lightly touch it as his mind resurrected images of that night, of how weak he had been and the part he had played in ending the lives of the two most important people in his lives.

Inoichi noticed his movement and wondered if Norio was just going to ignore him again and leave the utensils untouched. He was glad, however, when Norio reached for the pencil and held it between his fingers. It looked awkward as if it was the first time he had ever used the writing tool and he twiddled with it before finally setting it in a position he favored.

Putting lead to paper he began to scribble across the page. It was slow and deliberate and he seemed to go through great pains to not mess up. Whenever he did so Inoichi heard a small sound of aggravation before he clumsily erased his mistake and began a new. Unfortunately this happened constantly eating up about 30 minutes of their time before Norio decided that he was finished.

He didn't say a word as he laid the pencil to the side and returned to drilling a hole into the floorboards with his eyes. Inoichi retrieved the paper, Norio's eyes not even following his drawing, and examined the sketch. The lines were curly and plangent forming ugly bumps that distorted the picture.

Though Inoichi was good at his various jobs because he possessed a keen level of perception and it was with this gift that he was able to identify what the picture was supposed to be.

It was a mask albeit a strange one. There were designs covering the facade that seemed to be flames and only one eye hole opening over the right eye. He had never seen such a composition for a masquerade before and wondering what psychological process urged Norio to draw it.

"Norio, what is this?" he questioned showing him his own artwork

Norio rotated his head firmly giving his product a once over. He obviously had no attachment to it, but his coy focus seemed to hide something. It was a something that was so obscure that if you would almost need a dojutsu to pinpoint, but Inoichi saw it.

Anger. Fear. Guilt. They all meshed together in a tumultuous pool in his eyes separated only by a thin membrane.

Norio's lips parted insignificantly, but significantly enough that Inoichi was convinced that he was going to say something. If only the clock hadn't rang signalling the end of their session. He inwardly swore at the timing of the clock not appreciating the poetic irony it provided.

He had wanted to allocate more time for his patient but between reconstruction of the village, his obligation to all his other patients, his status as an interrogator, and not to mention trying to squeeze in quality time with his wife he just couldn't afford to. Norio didn't seem to care much though as he jumped down from his seat, his feet hitting the floor silently, and was headed towards the door as he always did.

"Norio before you go." Inoichi began causing Norio to face him. Inoichi forgot what he was about to say upon seeing the desolate look wrapped around his face.

"Uh...do you want to take this with you?" he inserted amateurishly

Norio gave the picture that same cryptic rivet while his facial features contracted as if to seal off contact with the world.

"No...I don't want it." he voiced his voice cracking and the corners of his eyes getting wet making Inoichi wonder if he was talking completely about the picture.

He offered only an impotent "Goodbye" before trudging out the door. As it closed behind him Inoichi sighed and let his face fall into one of his palms. He peeked through the eye not covered by his palm and eyed the picture.

'_What is it about this picture that caused him so much distress?' _

Laying the now curious drawing on the table he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling breathing out another breath of weary. It took a certain skill set to do what he did requiring a mind as sturdy as a mountain to avoid being overwhelmed by the proliferating depression that commonly emanated from his clients.

This was doubly hard due to the fact that it also required one to maintain a certain level of compassion to avoid coming off as uncaring however this in turn opened on up to the wave of sorrow that radiated from those who were suffering. The task of balancing a dispassionate and sympathetic approach could be strenuous. Too much of either could lead to him seeking his own therapist.

"Moderation is the key." he repeated the basic mantra as he continued to stare up at the ceiling wondering if he really was as good a psychologist as he thought

Norio walked out of the Yamanaka compound and through the village with his head hung low. He lacked the energy to take to the rooftops and even if he did he had no idea where he was actually going. He was basically on auto-pilot as his legs drug him aimlessly through the streets of his village. The loud reconstruction of the village helped to keep his mind occupied as people hammered, carried, and chatted away.

Everyone was pitching in to help rebuild their homes, it was a prime example of the camaraderie that the people of the Leaf shared with one another. Some people even managed to smile and joke with one another as if the assault on their home had never happened. They attempted to spread at least a minuscule sense of joy to try and alleviate the cloud of despair hanging over a host of people's head. Everyone was moving on...except him. It was not as if he could help anyway not with this bum arm of his, he would only mess things up or get in the way.

'_Like I always do.' _he thought

Soon he found that his legs had brought him to a destination. It was immediately recognizable with the raised wall around the perimeter and the flat roof. He jumped to the top of the wall with no vitality in his leap. Landing at the top he almost lost his balance having yet to grow accustomed to the dead weight his arm provided.

Once he was settled he observed the backyard of the home. His home which was now deathly silent. The house itself was dark and mute as if it was knowledgeable of the absence of two of its resident and had clammed up in an attempt to guilt them into returning. The backyard remained the same save for the grayish aura that seemed to pepper the air or maybe that was just Norio.

He jumped down and the still dewy ground splashed onto the front of his toes. It squelched beneath him as he made his way to the lone tree in the middle of the yard. The bark of the tree was rife with stab markings from kunai and shuriken he'd thrown into it for practice. The three brought back memories of his father pointing out flaws in his form he used to throw, but Norio buried those quickly enough.

He threw the tri-pronged kunai of Minato's and embedded it deep within the trunk of the tree. He looked around his backyard searching or rather hoping for something he knew would never come. Next he lumbered towards the tree and placed his fingers around the handle of the Time-Space kunai.

"It helps doesn't it?" said a voice that didn't belong to Norio

Norio clenched the kunai in his palm his artery showing through his skin. He let out a sigh of exasperation as he already knew whose voice it was. He turned to his left begrudgingly, not wishing to look at that face...his face.

"Shiro." he said weakly

He was referring to the white-haired being whose appearance was identical to his own save for the fact that his hair was the color of a full moon matching the clothes he wore. Another marked difference was his eyeballs which were drowned in black. His face was pulled down into a long frown with dried tears running down his cheeks reflecting Norio's somber mood.

Norio ignored his question and pulled the kunai knife from the tree. He knew how Shiro operated and answering his question would only encourage him to continue. Too bad he had already made the mistake of acknowledging him.

He lumbered towards his original spot and holding the unique weapon in his left hand he readied himself. His father's special tool was heavier than what was standard and add in the fact he was right handed made accuracy an impossibility, but then that wasn't the goal.

" 'Just throw this kunai and no matter where you are, I'll be there.' Is what he said isn't it?" spat Shiro his tears mysteriously disappeared replaced by a face folded in an anger

Norio tossed the kunai into the tree once more and waited. He didn't know why he kept doing this to himself when he knew the truth. But he couldn't admit it to himself, he held tightly on the belief that his father would keep his promise.

"He lied Norio. He said he would be here if you needed him, but where is he?" spoke Shiro convincingly a low growl developing in his throat

Norio removed the blade once more blocking out Shiro's rant in favor of visualizing his father appearing in a Yellow Flash. He threw it faster and harder this time and it made a definitive thud once metal met wood again.

"But, then he's lied before, about coming to our birthday, training with us, or even coming home to say goodnight, but you always believed him."

Another thud later and Norio was holding the kuani again this time forcing images to materialize in his brain. He believed his parents would appear to prove Shiro wrong and tell him that it was all a misunderstanding and then his mother would appear and they would wrap him in their arms promising to never leave him again.

"She lied too. That probably hurt the most, right? She never lied to you like he did."

It was getting harder to ignore Shiro now evident in how white Norio's knuckles were becoming as he gripped the handle of the kunai tighter and tighter. The only thing keeping him from raging about was the belief , no the knowledge that he would have his family back soon if he just kept throwing.

"They both lied, Norio and they're not coming back." finished Shiro

That was it; "Shut up!" Norio screamed, as he launched the blade in Shiro's direction not caring if it split his forehead. Hysteria set in once he realized too late that his tormentor had disappeared allowing the kunai to zip through the air and into his house.

Norio heard glass shatter two seconds after the weapon entered through the door causing his heart to sink into his stomach. He scurried into the dining area and found countless shards of glass on the floor along with the kunai. Believe it or not his first reaction was to move his head frantically from left to right expecting his mother to show up and admonish him about his deed.

However no one came. Norio's jaw tensed and his hand balled into a fist. He wanted to yell into the air at the absence of his parent. Wasn't it her duty to come and clean his mess while scolding him on how careless he was? This continued until an idea popped into his head.

If he could clean up his mess all by himself his mom would so proud that she would have to come and tell him and that meant she would bring his father as well.

A manic smile spread from ear to ear as he ran to the bathroom and retrieved the broom. He was so exuberant that he didn't notice the padding over his eye fall to the ground revealing a discolored scar extending to just outside the rim of his eye. Taking the broom in his left hand he began to sweep but discovered his ineptness with a broom as it refused to push in the direction he wanted it to. He tried again this time exerting more force, but it was only sufficient enough to move a few shards of glass. Successive attempts led to the same result and Norio's heart began to resemble the fractured glass on the floor.

He threw the broom to the floor in pronounced agitation. How could he expect his mother to show if he couldn't even sweep broken glass? His narrowed gaze fell onto the unusable limb coming out of his shoulder and he cursed at how useless it was while simultaneously realizing how it could've helped him clean.

Fuming he headed towards the door the back of his eyes beginning to sting as water fought to burst from his eyes. He couldn't cry, he had to be strong.

'_A ninja must not show emotion.' _he recited

He jumped away trying to suppress the paroxysm in his chest.

Sarutobi had a decision to make. On one hand he had the option of a cool, but bitter substance that wasn't ideal for someone his age that would make the long hours to come more bearable or a warm, but mucky drink that would keep him focused for those hours and leave him tired afterward. It was a choice that he considered much in his role as Hokage, a role he had been thrust back into unexpectedly.

A headache began to form as he thought about the events that caused him to wear the wide-rimmed hat once more. It invoked images of Minato, Kushina...and Biwako.

Just the thought of inding their bodies lying in pools of their own blood made him want to relinquish all his self-control and guzzle down a bottle of sake as well as hunt down and murder the one responsible. He fell back in his seat and groaned audibly. He had never thought he would fell the comforting plush of the Hokage chair again.

A knock at the door followed by a voice outside brought Hiruzen back into a professional steeple. It was best to not let your subordinates see theiitheir leader in an emotional funk during a time of reconstruction.

"What is it?" he questioned the man trying to keep his voice solid

The ninja paused apparently picking up on the Hokage's emotional state, but made no comment on it, "Danzo Shimura would like a word with you."

Sarutobi stiffened at the name of his old friend turned political rival, "Let him in."

Their meetings were always rife with subterfuge, at least on Danzo's part, and rhetoric designed to unbalance the other. This was a far cry from the rhapsodic times they spent together as children, lost in the bliss of missions and training.

"Sarutobi." stated the elder

There was a formality to his voice that hadn't existed years prior, one that made the Third respond equally as academic.

"Danzo, what can I assist you with today?"

His scarred chin rose into the air reminiscent of royalty, "I came to speak to you about **it.**"

Sarutobi inwardly sighed at his terminology though he shouldn't be surprised, Danzo always saw things in the criteria of how useful they were to his own goals, even people were not exempt from this viewpoint. It was one of his traits that led to the dissolution of their friendship and Danzo' subsequent transformation into a radical extremist.

" 'It' has a name, Danzo and it's Naruto." explained the Third

Danzo's face remained frozen in indifference. To him names meant little especially since he wasn't interested in the boy himself, only what he held inside that tiny body of his and how Danzo could use it.

"Yes, well as you know I feel 'Naruto' can be of use to us."

Sarutobi lowered his hands onto the desk as the shadows of his eyes darkened, "Don't you mean Root?"

"I mean the village." he countered unfazed by the trap the Professor had set, "With my program we can utilize the Kyubi's chakra fully."

The Hokage inhaled a long breath through his nose. They had discussed this topic before, debating on the ethics of raising a child as a weapon, but it seemed Danzo was not satisfied.

"Nevertheless, my decision still stands, Naruto is not be used for any of your 'programs'." the word was expelled from the Third's mouth like sour milk

Danzo's back straightened and his mouth fell into a cold line, "Hiruzen." the use of his given name meant an emotional appeal was coming. Danzo was probably banking on their past friendship.

"Understand, we are in a precarious position, our village has weakened considerably and we are helpless if one of the other nations decide to take advantage of this opportunity.

'_Not everyone is as cutthroat as you, Danzo.' _is what he badly wanted to say, but experience had thought him that, that statement would be naive especially coming from someone who participated in the Second World War.

"I am aware of that." he conceded

"Then why are you resisting me?" Danzo's voice raised an octave letting his emotion slip for a split second, "With the Nine-Tailed Fox we can divert **any **and all threats, foreign or domestic."

Sarutobi's eyes widened momentarily before resetting. They had discussed this topic as well concerning the possibility that a prominent clan had orchestrated the attack of the Nine-Tails. To Sarutobi the likelihood seemed slim, but he had always stressed seeing 'underneath the underneath'. However, other's took this too far and felt the threat was all too obvious and were spreading their paranoia.

"Danzo, don't go making enemies where none exist." warned the Third

The war hawk dropped his emotional walls for a moment as his teeth clinched and he waved his hand through the air, "I'm not making enemies, they've already been made!" A jounin from our village even stated the one who summoned the fox had a Sharingan. What more proof do you need, Hiruzen?"

The emotions in the room were beginning to elevate and Sarutobi was surprised that the jounin guard had not burst into the room especially with the sensitive subject matter. He would need to retain his calm demeanor to prevent the meeting from devolving any further.

"What are you asking Danzo? Do you want me to alienate an entire clan based only on circumstancial evidence? We have no body to identify Raido's claim and the only other person that could verify it is..."

He trailed off as his thoughts landed on Biwako and the state she was in. His halt in speech allowed Danzo time to regroup and return to his staunch persona.

"You're getting old Sarutobi." argued the man earning narrow eyes from the Third, "In your age you're beginning to lose sight of the big picture. We have sworn to protect this village at all costs all I ask from you is one life to save thousands."

Danzo had changed the subject back to something where he had more firepower. Sarutobi eyed the utilitarian and cursed himself for actually considering his offer. It was true that Konoha was as vulnerable as it had ever been and would not survive a siege by one of the other elemental nations.

If he sacrificed Naruto, how many lives could be saved by the mere dissuasion possessed by having a ninja who wielded the power of the most powerful bijuu? Hundreds or as Danzo said 'thousands'? All it would take was his okay and it would be done.

His eyes met Danzo's and the former commander held back a smirk upon seeing the submissive look in Hiruzen. He had won, now that he had convinced Sarutobi to let him take the boy everything would fall into place.

"No."

It was straightforward and final. The surrendered look had been replaced by a stern one that dared Danzo to argue. He did not for he knew when he was beaten and that there was nothing to say to persuade Hiruzen. Danzo turned and placed his hand on the handle of the door. He opened it a crack then without turnining to face the Hokage he said, "Then you doom us all."

The door closed gently, but it might as well have been slammed shut as long as Sarutobi was concerned. He let his body fall backwards into the comfy chair again. Dragging his eyes from the ceiling they landed on the two cups on his desk and he thought, _'Two choice.'_

As the door closed behind him Danzo stood as still as a statue as he ran through the meeting once more. He mentally poked and prodded the exchange between the two for any indicators that would show him where he slipped up. He eventually decided that his execution was flawless owing the failure to Sarutobi's outdated idealism.

It blinded him to the potential power and danger right in front of him or in Danzo's case right beside him.

He looked at the jounin guard with unhidden malice in his eyes. He leaned against the wall with unwavering tranquility with messy onyx hair and those accursed eyes. They were closed before but upon sensing the malicious stare of Danzo they opened steadily to reveal eyes the color of blood with black symbols resembling commas.

"Can I help you?" he spoke nonchalantly obviously not afraid of the much older man

This fact only caused Danzo's glare to intensify. If there was one thing he hated more than arrogance it was a lack of respect. The young man clearly felt that just because Danzo was of age that his skills had diminished proportionately. He would have loved to wipe that look off the Uchiha's face, but he resigned himself to saying coldly, "No, you can't help me, Shisui."

With that brief conversation ended Danzo walked away his leave being followed by the dojutsu clad eyes.

Sarutobi gulped down the last of the beverage and clanged the mug on the desk. He felt the light buzz that made his head feel like it was full of feathers. He wondered what Biwako would say if she saw him so stressed that he resorted to a liquid to stabilize him.

"I suppose you heard everything?" he said to the air

A puff of smoke dissipated beside his desk revealing one of his three students. Jiraiya had a smile plastered on his face that seemed unnatural given recent affairs that involved the man.

"Yeah, but I'm more surprised with you taking up one of Tsunade's habits. You know its one of the ninja vices, right?

His sensei smiled but Jiraiya was unsure as to whether it was due to his comment or the effects of his drink.

"I believe I was the one to teach you three that, Jiraiya."

"Yep, you also taught us:" he held up his fingers as he counted, "Ninja's must see through deception, all about the Will of Fire and my personal favorite 'how to spy on naked women'."

Jiraiya and Sarutobi both shared a laugh when they remembered the Transparency Escape Technique Jiraiya developed as a child. Oh the fun they had checking it for flaws, but Sarutobi maintained that it was always done to ensure his student didn't develop any faulty jutsu that could get him killed in battle.

Their laughter ceased leaving Sarutobi with a smile he had not donned in at least three days. This was one of the reasons he enjoyed Jiraiya's company. He was not eerily silent like Orochimaru nor prone to mood swings like Tsunade, he was just joyful.

"My point is you've taught me many things sensei in the long time you've been alive."

Jiraiya walked over to the window overlooking the village and peered out at the rock monument of all the Hokage, "Don't you think its time to take a break?"

The nicknamed "God of Shinobi" fell silent with the levity of the conversation taking a decisive weight to it. He saw that Jiraiya had a solemn expression in the reflection he cast in the window.

The Toad Sannin half-turned to face his teacher, "when I was listening to you and Danzo I found myself agreeing with him."

Sarutobi's crow feet widened at this revelation since when had his student become so cold hearted as to side with Danzo in anything. Things really were bleak if this was true.

Noticing his sensei's reaction and being familiar with his thought pattern Jiraiya said, "Not with the whole 'using Naruto as a weapon' pitch, that part is freaking insane, I mean about him calling you old."

Sarutobi relaxed somewhat before realizing what Jiraiya had just said. If he had been a petty individual he would have found it offensive that everyone was mentioning his age so casually. As it was he was only annoyed but his student wasn't one to deride someone without reason so he allowed him to continue.

"Just what is this about, Jiraiya?" curious as to the point his protege was making

"Just hear me out. Look out that window, at that mountain and tell me what you see."

Sarutobi decided to humor his student and gazed at the Kage Mountain. he saw the faces of the previous Kage including the visage of his two sensei's, his own bust and that of Minato Namikaze. Besides these familiar faces Sarutobi saw nothing particularly eye catching.

"The Kage's of the past." he answered

"Precisely and you know what all of them have in common?" Sarutobi remained silent at loss about the similarities beside their desire to protect their home. Seeing his confusion Jiraiya said, "They all died young. Not one of them lived to grow old and retire from life as a shinobi."

Sarutobi noticed the reference to his age once more and was wondering if Jiraiya was trying to persuade him of somethng or just mentioning his age for kicks.

"Some consider it the curse of the Hokage."

"Yes, you're the only one to ever live into his fifties. You should consider it a blessing."

Hiruzen was intrigued at his logic notably because he never recalled Jiraiya showing any opinion in religion, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. While he wasn't bitter about growing old he still noticed the detriment it brought. He always seemed to be losing something first, it was his chakra levels, then his eyesight, followed by his sense of taste. However none of this ever bothered Sarutobi, having accepted it as inevitable, obsessing over such things would only lead to misery or worse a second Orochimaru.

"My point is that living to be your age as Hokage, as a ninja doesn't happen often it's an achievement not even Minato accomplished. " At the mention of his student Sarutobi saw a flash of sadness adorn Jiraiya's features before he continued, "You should enjoy it. Take a vacation, relax on a beach..., spend time with Biwako."

Sarutobi opened his mouth as if to say something but clammed it shut. Jiraiya had a point, for every second he spent in this office or arguing with Danzo was another second he could've spent beside his wife. Despite that fact there was still the matter of the village head.

Above all else the Kage was a military position and any major nation could not exist without one.

"If I actually listened to your advice and remained retired who would lead the village? Unless you've finally decided to..."

Jiraiya's serious face broke reverting back to a toothy grin, "I've thought of that too. A candidate that's tough enough to stand up to those vultures in the council and smart enough to handle the pesky administrative duties that I find so difficult plus she's easy on the eyes too."

Sarutobi stroked his grayish stubble of a beard as he pondered this unnamed Hokage. With his keen intellect being one of the few things unaffected by his age it didn't take long for his mind to fill in the blanks.

"You don't mean Tsunade?"

Jiraiya grinned wider at his sensei's revelation, "Yes! Just thing about it she has brains, brawn, beauty,...boobs, but most importantly her medical prowess is unmatched and with all the injured here we could use her skills. She might even be able to heal Biwako."

At that scenario Sarutobi unconsciously came to a decision. However on the surface he seemed contemplative. His third student was indeed all that Jiraiya had described, including the boobs, a respected ninja and her genius in medical techniques were unparalleled, but that didn't make her a good choice. She had a history in the Leaf that would make her return unlikely.

Still, Jiraiya had appealed to his non-Hokage side, the one that was a husband and a father, if there was chance that Biwako could be saved then...

:"Alright, Jiraiya, bring her here and I'll consider stepping down as Hokage."

Jiraiya nodded his head and placed his foot on the open window sill but before he departed he turned to Sarutobi and stated, "Oh and I'm taking Norio with me."

"Why?"

"You've seen his arm, the med ninjas say he'll probably never be able to use it again, but I'd like a second opinion."

Then he was gone leaving Sarutobi with a lot to think about and a lack of sake with cold coffee.

"Perhaps I am getting too old for this."

* * *

><p>Norio found himself in front of the Konoha Hospital.. Surprisingly, it was only partially damaged when compared to its more leveled brothers. He had awoken in this very clinic not too long after <strong>that<strong> event. This was when the doctors gave him the rather bleak diagnosis concerning his right arm.

Thinking of their analysis made him grab his now anchored arm. It was an aberrant feeling to be able to physically see his own arm but unable to move or even feel it the experience was like having a phantom limb. They had even offerred him the choice of amputation and after being told what that entailed he vehemently refused on the basis that even if he couldn't use it, it was still his arm.

He wasn't here to get a second opinion however his legs having carried him to the hospital without his knowing. It didn't take long for him to figure out why he was standing outside the glass door though. Naruto was located in the ward here. He had not spent much time there because the mere sight of his brother caused him to flashback to that abhorrent time.

He puffed out his cheeks as he prepared for the meeting with his only sibling. Thoughts like: Will I cry when I see him? Will he even like me? Deciding that standing outside wouldn't answer any of these questions he put his hand to push the door aside and then...he walked away.

He couldn't do it. He knew that if he looked at that blonde hair he would think of his father and that in turn would lead to thoughts of his mother and from there more memories would invade his mind that would cause him to fall into a funk for the umpteenth time today which he hadn't completely gotten out of in the first place. No, it was best if he avoided his brother for a while, at least until he could walk down the street without seeing something that made him want to lock himself away and cry until the tears dried.

Walking away he used this logic to justify his cowardice thinking, _'I have time. I can visit him tomorrow.' _

He ignored the fact that he had said this same thing two days prior. He had not taken six steps when he heard glass shatter above him. He instinctively used his unusable arm to cover his head, but due to it being paralyzed he was left exposed. Luckily no sharp shards pierced his skull.

Looking upwards he saw two cloaked figures soaring through the air wearing white porcelain animal masks one had a bundle of blankets in his arms, but Norio could make out a tiny head of hair...and it was blonde.

"Naruto!" he called after the kidnappers

Of course they did not hear him and if they did they paid him no heed. Without thinking Norio leapt atop the nearest building and gave chase. It was weird hopping across rooftops with one-arm making him feel unbalanced. He had to pay extra attention so that he wouldn't fall from the rooftops, but none of that really mattered because he was determined to rescue his brother.

The two figures raced across the rooftop at break neck speeds intent on getting to the rendezvous point before someon spotted them. It was easy enough to infiltrate the hospice given the fact that the bulk of Konoha's manpower was concentrated in more strategically crucial points around the village or were away on missions. Now that they had secured the package it was all a matter of meeting up with-

"Fu, we have a guest." alerted the one with the cat mask

The leading partner carrying Naruto looked back with his matching feline false face and ordered, "Take care of it, we can't afford any witnesses, Torune."

The ANBU imposter nodded and anchored himself to the ground once they landed again while Fu continued en route. Immediately following this Norio landed on the roof as well. Torune studied the boy instantly noticing the burn scar around his left eye and the right arm wrapped in bandages held in place by a sling.

Had he any semblance of emotion he would have smirked at how easy it would be to dispatch a partially disabled six year old.

"Why are you taking my brother?" interrogated Norio

Torune didn't deign to answer nor did he register the question to begin with. To him the process was very simple and required no talking. He began to remove the gloves he wore compelling Norio to drop into a fighting stance that seemed awkward due to the crippled arm.

Now that he had actually caught up to one of the abductors it dawned on him that he had no way of forcing them to return Naruto. Without his other arm he couldn't even perform jutsu taijutsu or otherwise.

His father's cautioning about his impatience echoed in his mind and he cursed himself for not thinking this through.

Abruptly his thoughts were broken when the hand of his enemy shot out to grab him. Norio sidestepped to avoid the claw catching a glimpse of sickly purplish hue of the man's skin. Torune's left hand reached for him again and Norio back flipped under it feeling the strain as his lone arm held up his entire body weight momentarily.

Landing away from his adversary Norio clinched his fist. His right fist. In shock Norio almost didn't register the ANBU going for another grab. He evaded him by only a hair's breadth by leaping onto a higher level of the roof. He moved his fingers and was surprised to feel them twitch.

He didn't have the dexterity to form the more intricate hand signs and the use of his arm was still lost to him, but all he needed was this. He forced his index and middle finger to cross with his other set and form an unforgettable "t" symbol.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried bringing a clone into existence with a poof

Torune watched as the boy flexed and un-flexed his fingers before creating a clone. He remained unfazed at the appearance of the chakra double probably because its right arm was just as limp as the original.

"Go!" Norio told the clone as it launched forward

Meanwhile Norio held out his left arm and began to mold chakra while repeating certain steps in his mind.

The diversionary clone sailed through the air about to attack the man when its throat was seized by a constricting hand. Torune clutched the duplicate's windpipe and began to spread his nano insects into its body. It's skin swelled grotesquely and sprouted bulbous growths across its body as its skin tone turned violet. It grabbed his hand which only served to spread the bacteria-like bugs further.

It writhed and squirmed in agony before finally succumbing to the special breed of kikaichu. Torune threw the clone away ready to deal with the original that was right...in his face. He held a deep blue orb that spiralled dangerously. Torune recognized it as the Fourth's technique, but it looked different and unfinished.

"Rasengan!" he shouted as he drove the swirling jutsu forward

A massive cloud of dust and shrapnel was tossed skyward as the attack connected. Norio stood up in a crater that looked like the Uzushiogakure symbol that would cost someone a pretty penny to repair. As the smoke cleared Norio expected to find the broken body of that ninja but was alarmed when all he found was crumbled rock.

"Wha-I missed!"

Norio was petrified when he sensed Torune behind him. His mind screamed for him to move but his body disobeyed. It was as if he had finally realized that this was his first actual fight and it happened to be against a far superior opponent or maybe he was shivering because he was about to die.

Torune drew his hand closer to Norio's skin. One touch was all it would take and Torune had to admit it took longer than anticipated, but in the end he was uninjured, the boy would be neutralized, and the mission would be a success.

"Lightning Blade!" came the call of an unfamiliar voice prior to the searing pain that ripped through Torune's shoulder.

He felt bone split and skin burn as the electrically infused hand pierced his shoulder.

"Kakashi!" identified Norio

Contrary to his usual emotionless self Torune let out a wail of pain. He retained enough self-awareness however to touch the fingers sticking out of his shoulder and spread his special venomous insects.

They swarmed over the new meal down his arm until soon the entire body was consumed. He waited to hear the pained wails of his victim but was unpleasantly surprised when Kakashi's skin turned electric blue and took on the properties of actual electricity. He received a debilitating shock that caused his muscles to seize as "Kakashi" was revealed to be a lightning clone.

"Norio, finish him!" exclaimed Kakashi knocking Norio out of his stupor

Wasting no time Norio began to form a second Rasengan. Without further delay he delievered the coup de grace burying the Rasengan into Torune's stomach while he was still being electrocuted. He was blown backwards like a hurricane had barreled into him impacting a wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

He slumped forward falling to this knees. Torune's stomach lurched and he could feel his bowels move. Lifting his mask he regurgitated onto the ground forming a chunky besmear puddle of bile in front of him. His secondary mask hid his identity, but he could not afford to be captured here.

The penalty while on an assignment was drilled into them since day one and he was prepared to do his duty, but if it was not necessary he would not resort to it. Reaching into his pocket he produced a smoke bomb. He threw it to the ground conjuring up a thick vapor to cover his escape. Norio was going to react by diving headfirst into the smoky cover but a hand on his shoulder prevented him from moving.

Looking up he spotted the sixteen year old with his head band raised revealing a red eye with tomoe. He briskly lowered his forehead protector before speaking to Norio, "Don't rush into a situation wihtou a plan, Norio. He could be using that smokescreen to set a trap."

Norio offered no feedback having heard the advise before. After the depleting fog had completely evaporated it seemed Kakashi's warning was baseless as the ninja had escaped leaving behind only a pool of vomit and blood. The black-haired Namikaze stared at the empty space until something clicked in his head.

"Naruto!" he declared prepped to leap away once more only to be held in place by Kakashi once more.

Seeing Norio's look of abashment and antagonism Kakashi calmly explained, "Relax, Norio we have everything covered. The Third anticipated something like this might happen so he stationed me and another jounin to watch over Naruto."

Elsewhere Fu was kicked against the wall by the nameless jounin. He had an ugly scar that ran across his face with spkky brown hair. Fu could care less about his identity however and more about what he held in his arms. The man had ambushed him suddenly and due to the fact that Fu was carrying the package he had essentially been fighting with one arm before the man relieved him of his charge.

Though it seemed the roles had been reversed now as the jounin was holding the child. In addition he knew nothing of his abilities so all he would need to do was a quick mind-switch, return the child to his body, and then have the ambiguous jounin extinguish his own life. It was perfect, it was simple, it was...expecting too much because as soon as he began to weave hand signs he felt a presence, no two.

Looking over his shoulder he spotted the silhouette of Kakashi Hatake and a short black haired boy who looked indignant. If the jounin was alone he could handle him even if the boy got involved it would be child's play, but with the Copy-ninja added into the equation things got complicated.

He had no choice he had to retreat. Under the mask Fu's detached character cracked enough to allow him to glare at the jounin responsible for the mission's failure.

Norio and Kakashi watched as the cloaked ninja escaped landing shortly afterward. Norio expressed his desire to chase the man but was rebuked by Kakashi who felt it would be wasteful.

"Let's focus on getting Naruto to safety.." he said

Norio relented casting his infant brother a protective look. He felt the urge to hold him but an attempt to reach him with his right arm stopped any attempt at cuddling.

"Raido, I don't think it would be prudent to take Naruto back to the hospital. If those two could get in so easily then Naruto would be under constant threat there." explained the teen

"I agree, but where can we take him?"

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment as he pondered. The animosity of the village towards the Nine-Tailed Fox made any shelter for Naruto a potential melting pot. He needed to go somewhere he would be secure but also nurtured. The orphanage was out of the question, at least now anyway, and they definitely could not leave the two alone.

He felt a small tug on his sleeve caused by Norio. He was looking at Kakashi with a demure expression but he managed to say, "I-I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Not too long after this Naruto was sleeping soundly in a crib prepared for him. Norio was standing over him examining as his plump belly rose and fell noticing the whisker-like markings on each cheek. He traced them lightly with his finger careful not to wake him. He must not have been careful enough because Naruto's oceanic eyes snapped open.<p>

Mind you they didn't open fully because they were so diminutive making Naruto appear to be squinting. Norio retracted his finger as his baby brother scanned his new bed. He eventually got bored and focused on the face looking down at him.

It was the first time he had seen Norio and like any infant encountering something for the first time he began to stare unblinkingly. Naruto saw the spikes of his hair and thought they looked strange and wanted to pull them. Reaching up with a chubby fist he let out indicative cooing sounds and gurgles to try and get his point across. Unfortunately Norio didn't speak infant and furnished his finger.

Naruto's brain told him to grab it and he did so. It was bony, but soft fascinating the blonde as his eyes sparkled at the new toy. His curiosity with the phalanges urged him to put it in his mouth but before he did so it was pulled from his grip.

His immature facial muscles twisted into something that resembled disappointment. He eyed Norio again waiting for him to do something exciting when he noticed the patch over his eye. For some reason Naruto found this hilarious and began to giggle showing off his pink gums.

What Naruto was chuckling at escaped him nevertheless he found himself smiling at the infants show of contraction of his zygomatic major and orbicularis oclui muscles felt foreign on his mug. He couldn't recall smiling after his parent's funeral but Naruto had managed to make him do so effortlessly.

Seeing his brother's joy made the air feel lighter and eased the weight on his heart. The sound of his first chortle was akin to music that spoke to a metaphysical side of him that had been dwelling in an ocean of sorrow. And Naruto's smile...his smile was just like...

Something wet fell onto Naruto's forehead causing the child's mouth to form an "o". At the same time Norio felt a warm liquid on his cheeks. Bringing his hands up to his face he rubbed his skin and found tears.

"Norio?" said the Third in a grandfatherly tone

He had just gotten through discussing the suspicious ease at which the hospital was breached. Mind you security wasn't the tightest at the time, but two full grown men in cloaks and masks sneaking around inside a crowded clinic with no witnesses sounded iffy at best. Even though he had an overwhelming hunch on the culprit he would have the Konoha Police launch an investigation before making accusations. For now, however, he placed his attention on the two house guests he was hosting.

"Norio," he reiterated, "why are you crying?"

The boy wiped away his tears seemingly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." he muttered ashamedly

Sarutobi's eyebrows raised to show how perplexed he was at the boy's apology.

"My boy, what could you be sorry about?"

Norio shifted uncomfortably and began to twist one of his ebony spikes. He dragged his eyes up with such deliberation that Hiruzen thought for a moment that this was an act. Although what he uttered next proved otherwise.

'For crying. Ninja musn't show emotion. Ever."

The elderly shinobi might have laughed if he wasn't so sure Norio would take it the wrong way. Instead he stood beside the young lad and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. His wrinkly, but gentle features reflected wells of wisdom that many would never possess in their entire lifetime.

"Norio, but you aren't a ninja." he pointed out

He looked incredulous as he said with wide eyes, "I know b-but I will be...someday."

The Third continued staring wondering if this was really the child of Kushina and Minato. Two people who were not meek about expressing their thoughts in full.

"Yes, and I believe you'll be a splendid ninja, but let me tell you a secret."

Norio perked up if only marginally as he leaned in to hear from one from one of the greatest Hokage's of all time. Sarutobi put his hand up to his face as if he was really about to reveal something covert.

"Between you and me, I think the ninja code is rubbish."

Norio snapped his head back as if Sarutobi had said something blasphemous. His young mind not comprehending how someone could say something negative about the code.

"You see Norio while the shinobi rules are important it is by no means perfect. For instance, the code says to never show emotion, but if that's true how would you act when you bite into your favorite dessert?"

Norio opened his mouth to reply, but found nothing came out. He had to admit that it was hard imagining biting into a cone of green tea ice cream without curling his toes and grinning widely.

"Or how would you act around Naruto? Would you not hug him or give him a smile when you see him?" Sarutobi continued

Once again Norio found the Third's logic infallible as the thought of coldly engaging Naruto did not appeal to him in the slightest after all he loved Naruto. He was one of the only things he had left.

"And how would you have behaved with your parents if you had followed the code to the letter?"

That question seemed to make something click within Norio. He realized that he had never followed the code when with his parents. Any effort to do so only caused confusion in them. It simply wasn't applicable when they were at the dinner table or out under the shade of a tree together.

In hindsight he had always tried to adhere to the code, outside of time with his family, but it only resulted in him feeling nervous and withdrawn. The phrase, "You spend too much time in your head, Norio.", often told to him finally made sense. Seeing the truth, at last, for what is was Norio felt brave enough to do something he hadn't had the courage to before.

"Sarutobi, sir, I'd like to go somewhere." he revealed

"Where would that be? I can accompany you if you'd like?"

Norio shook his head, "No, I-I want to go by myself."

Sarutobi peered into the boy's eyes both harboring a bit of fear, but also something else. Something that he could more readily relate to the Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero. It was...determination.

Seeing it made Sarutobi assured that whatever Norio was going to do he was not going to back down from it.

"Okay."

Jiraiya bounded onto another outstretched tree limb and remained stationery. Placing his hand across his forehead to maximize his eyesight he searched the area for Norio. He had been scampering around the village all day trying to find the boy, but to no avail. He had searched Minato's and Kushina's home, the academy, the training fields, and the Hokage Mountain, but had yet to locate the boy.

Worse yet it was getting dark and he had planned to leave by this time already. He was considering leaving Norio and searching for Tsunade alone when he finally spotted a head of black hair standing in front of a kunai-shaped monument with wording inscribed in its darkish stone.

There were bouquets of white flowers laid down in front of the memorial.

"Aha, there you are."

With minimal effort Jiraiya was on the ground at beside a tree behind Norio who had yet to turn and face him. A devious smirk spread across as an idea for a prank entered his mind. He raised up on his tip toes and began to move towards Norio with all the stealth a Sannin could possess.

He inhaled a deep breath as he came within five feet of the youth. He was about to yell Norio's name aloud when he heard sniffling. Norio's shoulders were slumped and he stood with a bowed expression. If Jiraiya was on the other side of him he would also see his lips pouted out like a puppy's.

Jiraiya's prank was forgotten as Norio began.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad." he choked out rubbing his reddening eyes

The light around Norio seemed dark and it wasn't due to the sun lowering either. His hand was shaking as he tired to remain composed enough to say what he needed to.

"Mom, Dad...I miss you." tears managed to break through his sealed eyelids and ran down the side of his cheeks creating darkened spots as they hit the soil.

"Why did you guys have to leave me? I-I promise I won't break anything or...or stay out too late anymore." he snorted deeply draining the mucus back into his nose as the trembling extended to his shoulders

"I'll be a good boy...and a good ninja just please...come back. I want to be a family again." his chest expanded and deflated sharply as he respired.

By now his vision was completely obscured by tears that didn't seem to stop wetting the bandages of his right arm.

"It's not fair! Why aren't you guys here for me like you said you always would be!" he bellowed into the air as if that would make everything proper

'_It really wasn't fair!'_ he thought. He had no one now, no one to point out the flaws in his taijutsu stance, no one to walk with him to the market with their hands tied, or anyone to cuddle against when he had nightmares at night. There was no one-

His stopped grieving for a millisecond as he felt himself being turned around impetuously and pulled into one of the biggest bear hugs he had ever experienced. His aqueous face soaked the red cloak worn by Jiraiya turning the light circles on the attire a deep yellow. His godfather's said nothing just wrapping his arms around the much smaller boy and for a moment Norio didn't know what to do just leaving his face buried in the man's breast. Then he wrapped his left arm as best he could around the larger man barely reaching out to his ribs. His chin popped out to rest on Jiraiya's shoulder as his crying resumed. As Jiraiya hugged him he came to the realization that he was not as alone as he thought. He didn't know if it was his close proximity to the Sannin, but he could feel his pain as well.

It reverberated with his own causing their hearts to resonate in malady. There was someone out there who understood what he was going through. Minato and Kushina had not only left him, but Jiraiya, Sarutobi, Kakashi, the village, but probably most importantly they had left Naruto as well. They were all connected by the strings of grief.

Norio looked into the woods encircling the memorial as the epiphany washed over him. A white-haired figure stared back at him tears streaming down his face his eyes full of gloom. For a millisecond Norio understood Shiro. He had been trying to get Norio to see that it was okay to ache over his parents and convey his feelings as it made him human.

He opened his mouth to thank his abstract friend, but found his words caught in his throat at the smile Shiro gave him. Eyes closed and blanched teeth showing Shiro beamed and then...he was gone.

Seeing him go didn't make Norio any sadder as he knew he had fulfilled his purpose. Norios sucked in his lips and stared at the spot he had been standing in and said, "Goodbye."

As Norio gave his friend a farewell he thought, _'Mom, Dad. I promise that I will always protect Naruto and our home just like you always wanted."_

* * *

><p>Merry Christmas everyone. I'm so glad I got this uploaded before tomorrow. Sorry for the wait I'll try not to do that again and you can expect the next chapter at least by next week, but I make no promises. Anyways sound off in the review boards, by way of a pm, or even my email address. I really want to know what everyone thinks. Once again thanks goes out to my beta, you are awesome!<p> 


	5. Changes

**Changes**

* * *

><p>Norio walked along Jiraiya on the road leading out of the village. It was early morning so the air was crisp and the fog high. Luckily Norio had brought his favorite coat while Jiraiya seemed unfazed by the temperature. Norio shoved his hands in his pocket and looked up into the sky, his eyes absorbing the grayness of the clouds.<p>

He noticed they seemed primed to release their damp payload at any moment. The muddy ground sucked in their feet with each step making a distinct sloshing sound. He didn't like the rain, watching countless droplets impact the earth and clump together to form clear puddles never appealed to him.

"Norio!" called Jiraiya.

His warning came to late however as Norio walked right into a stony structure. He fell backwards onto the chilly ground sinking into the unstable soil. He rubbed his throbbing nose seemingly forgetting the mud on his palm then consequently smeared it across his face.

Jiraiya chuckled at the grime on his face that contrasted with the reddish scar over his left eye.

"You have something on your face." he informed teasingly.

Norio's cheeks flushed in embarrassment before he used his sleeve to clean himself. The muck sliding onto his forearm marred the once clean jacket. He produced a sound of discontent as Jiraiya observed him. He lifted his head when he felt something damp moisten his scalp. Looking up he saw the clouds overhead darken and release several more globules.

"Let's find some cover." suggested Jiraiya.

He directed Norio to a small shrine off the side of the main road. Norio eagerly followed his godfather to escape the rain. The shrine was built to a strange deity with a long nose and angelic wings sprouting from its back. It looked quite intimidating as the idol was posed in a way that made it seem poised to strike with its shakujo and war fan. Norio's brow creased and he bit his bottom lip before turning away from the eerie statue.

He was met with a sight that wasn't necessarily better as the innumerable amount of precipitation pounded the leaves and weltered the gravel. He wondered what could make the world weep so heavily.

'_I hate the rain.' _he thought offhandedly.

"Norio, are you paying attention?" chimed Jiraiya.

The Namikaze jumped slightly at the sudden voice, startled. Jiraiya gave him an inquisitive look by raising his white brow. Norio resorted to twisting one of his spikes and found the raindrops to be interesting all of a sudden.

"S-sorry, I didn't hear you." he stuttered.

Jiraiya balled his lips and rubbed the bottom of his chin at Norio's peculiar behavior. He waited for him to stop playing with his hair before he spoke again.

"I asked how your arm was feeling."

Norio looked at his mummified limb and his eyes lowered as he let out a low sigh. He could not actually feel anything on his arm or even the arm itself so that question was difficult to answer.

"I-uh...it's fine." he managed to murmur.

Jiraiya continued to stare at him with a blank expression causing Norio to place his hands on his pant leg and tug ever so slightly. He didn't like when people stared, it made them hard to figure out, that and he didn't like staring. He focused on the rain outside to avoid meeting Jiraiya's gaze.

"You know you are one easily distracted kid. That's not good if you plan on being a ninja."

Norio scratched the side of his head with one finger, "S-sorry I don't mean to be."

Norio was expecting a discontent sigh, after all that was his second time apologizing, but was surprised when he got a smile from Jiraiya.

"That's fine, we just have to work on that. Let's try a little exercise."

Jiraiya peered out at the unrelenting rain his mind running through a way to relate it to ninja activity. He let out an "Ah" as he figured out a connection.

"Look outside into the rain and tell me what you see." he directed.

Norio had been staring ahead long enough that nothing really stood out to him, but he did notice a few things. He rubbed his right arm vigorously as he let out a foggy breath.

"It's cold and...wet." he responded.

"Is that all?"

Norio took another fruitless look, once again seeing nothing of interest. What was Jiraiya playing at? There seemed to be no difference between this rainfall and the one's before. What was so special about it?

Norio felt Jiraiya's expectant gaze, but all he could offer was a slow shrug of the shoulders.

"Yes?" he said meekly

The smirk on Jiraiya's face never faltered as he pointed into the downpour towards the ground and Norio got the feeling that he was expected to not see anything.

"Let me tell you what I see; a hiding place."

Norio's face contorted into one of mild confusion before realizing that Jiraiya was pointing at a puddle. He replied before Norio could mutter a question.

"Using a low level water jutsu a ninja could hide in that puddle and strike from below. The rain itself coupled with mist lowers visibility and its sound muffles footsteps."

As Jiraiya ran through the uses a simple storm could provide Norio began to see it for what it truly was; camouflage of the natural variety.

"Details, that's the point I'm trying to drive home, Norio. A ninja must see underneath the underneath. These are the things a ninja knows to be true, the light in the darkness."

The pitter patter gradually began to slow until it stopped completely. The clouds began to disperse leaving tiny holes for sunlight to peak through. A lone trail of light shined on Norio's forehead before it expanded enough to blind his eyes.

"Well, would you look at that the rain stopped. I guess we should get going."

Jiraiya stood up and dusted off imaginary dust. Norio followed suite and followed his godfather onto the swampy land. He gave one last look to the statue inside, its ebony marble eyes seemed to follow him out of the temple. Shuddering he turned and sprinted after Jiraiya, a bit unnerved.

* * *

><p>Shisui sat in a darkened room, a lone candle providing illumination, across from his clan leader and the man who had been something of a mentor to him, Fugaku Uchiha. The characteristic creases below his eyes made it seem like his face was pulled down into a permanent frown which would be appropriate given the news Shisui just gave him. His short black hair hung over his eyes giving him stern appearance.<p>

The younger Sharingan user was as loyal to Konoha as the next ninja more so actually, but what was heard in the office of the Hokage needed to be brought to Fugaku's attention. His dark eyes were hidden behind his eyelids as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Shisui remained silent as his leader absorbed the information.

"Are you sure about this, Shisui?"

The question was unnecessary he knew but clarity was essential in a matter such as this. To take action, not to say it was needed, based on a misunderstanding would be catastrophic to the Uchiha's standing in the Leaf, though if what Shisui said was true that standing was already deteriorating.

"I'm positive. Danzo feels the Uchiha clan was responsible for the attack on the village by the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's trying to persuade the Third into taking action."

Fugaku's jaw clenched and his skin took on a slightly redder tone at hearing the man's name. Shisui knew this was because of the war hawk's reputation for being wary of the clan ever since the time of the Fourth. It was foolish to think his paranoia would fade in the wake of the Kyuubi attack.

The people of the village were angry at the damage to their home, with the demon sealed away, they would need something more tangible to relieve them of their hate, and Danzo seemed to have chosen the Uchiha.

"What does the Third think?"

"Luckily, he hasn't bought into it, but he's just one man and Danzo has sway with some of the council and we don't yet know how they all feel about this 'theory' of his."

A breath of relief passed Fugaku's lips, '_At least there's some good news.'_

He looked at Shisui, his expression hard and said, "For now keep this between us, but let me know if you hear anything else. I'd like to focus on this assignment the Hokage gave us while we're still in his good graces."

He picked up a folder holding documents off the table. Whether that was an attempt at a joke or outright sarcasm was lost on Shisui. Fugaku was hard to read even for those possessing a dojutsu that earned him a rival in Hiashi Hyuga who prided himself on the lucidity his eyes offered.

"If I may, what assignment has he given you?"

Fugaku opened the folder and gave the papers a once over. He made it a point to never mix emotion with work, but he would be lying if he said he did not feel "something" when asked to conduct an investigation concerning this infant.

"It concerns the jinchurikki of the Nine-Tails. At approximately 4:55 pm two males dressed in ANBU cloaks and masks infiltrated a Konoha hospital and abducted one Naruto Uzumaki." he read directly from the report, "I, that is to say, the Konoha Police Force have been tasked with figuring out the motives and/or identities of these perpetrators and bring them in.

'_Naruto Uzumaki, so that's the boy's name.' _thought Shisui

"If I can offer assistance in any way you know I'm available."

Fugaku lowered the portfolio and gave Shisui one of his unreadable expressions.

"As a matter of fact I believe you can. After the attack some of the citizens have been taking advantage of the situation and looting homes and shops. We've had our hands full dealing with these petty thefts so-"

"You want me to conduct the investigation?" Shisui finished.

"Only until another unit becomes available." clarified Fugaku, handing him the folder.

Shisui nodded before taking the pamphlet. Fugaku then stood up wordlessly instructing Shisui to do the same. They both bid farewell with curt nods and then went their separate ways.

Shisui had his nose buried in the file as he strolled through the Uchiha district. Having lived here for his entire life his muscles had memorized paths that were strewn about his home so he had no need to look where he was going. His relatives, of the distant kind, all greeted him with courteous "Hellos".

He was polite enough to return them, but his attention remained divided on the report. He would have continued on to the exit in this way until he heard an unforgettable cry.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

An amber glow warmed his cheek even at this distance. He closed the folder and brought his attention to a young boy on the boardwalk overlooking the expansive lake in the Uchiha district.

"Itachi!" he called.

The onyx-haired lad turned at the sound of his name and his face brightened. He shared the same "frown lines" as his father but his facial features were more akin to his mother, fair and smooth with the same dark eyes that held a gentle and caring glow to them.

"Shisui!" he replied.

He began to sprint towards his surrogate brother. Once he was close, enough Shisui ruffled his hair in a sibling manner causing Itachi to playfully knock his wrist aside.

"I see you've already mastered the fireball jutsu, eh?"

"It wasn't that hard. It's not that high level." he answered modestly.

That was Itachi, Shisui supposed, he was constantly praised for his ability and natural talent yet you would never know if you asked him. He was a modest young boy who was unaffected by the arrogance usually associated with those sharing his surname.

"Well, how goes the academy? Have you made any new friends?"

Itachi placed his hands in his pockets and averted his eyes for a tenth of a second before saying, "It's fine."

Shisui noticed that in his terse reply Itachi failed to answer his question about making new friends. He wasn't the most sociable boy often keeping to himself and speaking only with Shisui. However, he did spend a large amount of time with his little brother Sasuke, if he wasn't training that is.

This was fine and all as Shisui actually enjoyed conversing with him, but he often felt the boy should have more interaction with those his own age.

"What's that?" probed Itachi pointing at the case file under Shisui's arm.

The body-flicker user pulled the file out and looked at it. It wasn't proper procedure to reveal the details of an assignment especially to a seven year old, but he could reveal a little as long as it wasn't explicit.

"An assignment your father gave me."

"Is it about the Nine Tails?"

Shisui blinked at Itachi's intuiton. He couldn't remember saying anything that would have tipped the young boy off about the nature of his mission. He decided it was just an example of his genius and chose not to insult his intelligence by lying to his face.

"In a matter of speaking. It seems some people are rather bold with their enmity." He answered cryptically.

It was clear enough to validate Itachi's examination, but vague enough to keep specific details secret. The lines on Itachi's face turned up at his response as he was keen enough to discern that his guess was correct, but Shisui was obligated to keep certain things under wraps...just like a ninja should.

"What is the greatest pleasure a ninja can experience?" started Shisui.

Itachi recognized the beginning of their special saying, "To perform a good deed and have it discovered by accident."

Shisui ruffled his hair once more and said, "Good. I'll see you later, Itachi."

* * *

><p>Sarutobi took his wife's wrinkly hand and covered it with his own furrowed appendage. She was barely recognizable with all the tubing and the plastic oxygen mask. Her chest rose and fell in irregular intervals casting a misty fog in her mask as she breathed.<p>

Seeing her in such a pathetic state did a number on his heart. His inability to help her in anyway only served to amplify his pain. He had tried to distract himself with work and expending any resources he could to find the one responsible. He attempted to tell himself that it was to bring him to justice but Sarutobi was too self-aware though to not acknowledge his need for closure.

He wanted to be certain the culprit paid for his crimes for sure but there was a small part of him that wanted to see him suffer for what he did to Biwako and not only his wife, but Minato and Kushina as well. He knew the dangers of revenge and yet he could not stop himself from feeling this way.

He shook his head as he tried to dispel such sapping thoughts. He was here for his wife to spend time with her just as his student suggested. Thinking of his student filled him with a sense of hope, hope that Jiraiya would find Tsunade and she would heal Biwako along with the other injured citizens.

The door leading into the ICU opened bringing in light that stung Sarutobi's eyes and in stepped a nurse of experience with a sympathetic look.

"Lord Hokage? Visiting hours are over."

"Yes, of course." he said in a raspy voice.

He had already stayed long after the permitted time thanks to the receptive nurse. He could exploit his position to extend that time even more, but he couldn't endanger another's career to sate his emotional needs. He gave his wife an affectionate kiss on her forehead before making his leave.

* * *

><p>Shisui appeared just outside the Konoha Hospital in a cloud of smoke. His signature method of travel was not only useful in combat, but cut travel time down exponentially. He had decided to begin his investigation by questioning the staff; he had a gut feeling that he would find answers here.<p>

Stepping inside, Shisui's ears were assaulted by the sound of feet striking tiles and the shouts of physicians giving out orders. He headed straight toward the receptionist's desk deciding it was as good as place as any to start. It was a slight ordeal because of the sheer amount of people inside the building. It was a sea of bobbing head and scurrying nurses who rushed to help the injured patients.

The patients themselves seemed to outnumber the staff 10:1 as Shisui saw every nurse dart form one patient to the next without taking a break. It was hectic as bodies bashed into one another, some tempers flared as Shisui heard more than a few swear being thrown.

He had to maneuver through the crowd and even then, he managed to collide with a few people and have others step on his toes.

"Sorry. My apologies. I did not mean to grab you there." he said as he waded.

Eventually, he managed to break through and arrived at the receptionist desk. His folder was bent from abuse and his coat was hanging off one shoulder. After taking, a few seconds to appear more presentable Shisui noticed that someone had beaten him to the desk.

They had spiky brown hair and seemed to be arguing with the nurse. This was indicated by the fearful look in her eye.

"What do you mean you didn't see anyone?"

His voice was almost hostile and his body language radiating confrontation exemplified when he slammed his hands on the desk.

The gentlemen in Shisui caused him to draw closer to and place his hands on the man's shoulder. He turned around abruptly and Shisui got a good look at him. He recognized him as Raido Namiashi a jounin who he knew only on a professional level. During those times he saw the man as calm and methodical, a far cry to his current display.

"What's the problem here?" questioned Shisui

At that moment the purple haired woman behind the desk quickly said, "Oh my god, this man keeps asking me about that kidnapping but I told him my shift ends at 3:00 and it happened at 5:00."

"You must know something." interrupted Raido.

Shisui squeezed his shoulder, "Raido, calm down. The hospital is busy so even if she was here I doubt she would've seen anything, right Ms-"

"Yotaru, Hiro Yotaru." she finished for him.

Raido gritted his teeth before he let out a submissive sigh. His features softened as he looked at the woman apologetically. He turned to her and bowed.

"I'm sorry Ms. Yotaru."

She did not respond probably still weary of the man who had harassed her, though Raido did seem genuinely sorry. With that problem, solved Shisui could proceed with his mission.

He leaned on the desk and gave Hiro a look that made her blush. She suddenly realized how handsome the Uchiha was with his sharp features and curly black hair that managed to retain a boyish charm.

"Now Hiro- may I call you Hiro?" He asked in a sultry voice.

Raido's mouth fell open at Shisui's change in attitude.

Hiro reacted much more pleasantly by twirling her violet hair flirtatiously as her eyes looked shyly to the side causing a confident smirk to rise in the corner of Shisui's mouth. Sensing a window Shisui gently took Hiro into his own sending a pleasurable shock up her arm. He laid his eyes on her full lips sending a signal that caused Hiro cheeks to burn white hot.

They engaged in senseless babble filled with Hiro's girlish giggles and pearly smile. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident with Raido. The nurse leaned in closer to the jounin's face as her lips parted slightly. Shisui licked his lips in slow manner glistening his muzzle.

"What time do you get off?"

"At 6:00." she answered almost immediately.

Shisui kept a sly grin that made Hiro wonder what he was thinking. He raised his hand and brushed her hair away from her face then ran his hand behind her lobe tickling her. He moved in closer and Hiro froze.

She waited for seconds that seemed to drag as his lips almost brushed hers. She could feel his warm breath against her skin and her heartbeat quickened. Her eyes instinctively closed with his as she prepared for his scrumptious lips.

"That's funny I thought you said your shift ended at 3:00." she heard him say

The mystique dispelled and Hiro's eyelids snapped open forcing her to fall into the hypnotic lure of the Sharingan. Her face went blank as the genjutsu took hold. Shisui's face reverted to his serious expression as he stood to his full height. Hiro mimicked his movement and her arms fell limply to her side.

Raido watched the sequence of events and stared in wonder at the glazed over eyes of the secretary.

"What did you do?" he questioned.

Shisui didn't look at him as he had to maintain eye contact for the jutsu to remain in effect.

"Nothing spectacular. Just an old ninja tool called seduction." he squinted before widening his gaze, "Now, Hiro tell me how those men were able to get into the hospital."

Hiro retained her zombie-like disposition as she spoke in monotone.

"They walked."

There was no sarcasm present, the statement was made as a fact. Shisui sighed as he said, "You have to be specific with this genjutsu."

"Tell me how the men dressed in ANBU attire infiltrated the hospital so easily without anyone noticing or attempting to stop them?"

With the command, more specified Hiro said, "Members of the staff, myself included, allowed them to bypass." [I'm assuming you meant Hiro here.]

Shisui heard a grunt from behind him attributing it to Raido. Shisui remained neutral at the information.

"Why would you allow the kidnapping of an infant by men wearing cloaks and masks?"

"They told us that they would rid of us of the Nine Tailed fox so we were eager to oblige them."

This time a look of disgust worked its way onto Shisui's face as he heard a scoff from Raido. He wasn't as controlled with his emotions as Shisui however.

"He's a baby! What's wrong with you people!" he raged.

Shisui held up his hand to quiet his colleague. Besides, the genjutsu prevented the target from hearing anyone besides the one casting it.

"Who were the men who made the promise to 'rid' you of the Nine Tailed Fox?" interrogated Shisui further.

"They did not reveal their identities."

Shisui inwardly sighed at this tidbit, _'Of course they didn't.' _

At the same time, a new inquiry materialized in his mind one that would provide at least some measure of justice to this situation.

"Write the names of the staff that were knowledgeable of the impending kidnapping yet did not report or intervene in any way."

Hiro gave a sluggish nod before she retrieved a pen and paper then began to scribble down the names desired. To the shock of both shinobi present the list was extensive requiring Hiro to use both sides of the paper. Once she was done, she laid the pen down and Shisui picked up the sheet.

He was familiar with some of the medics as they had treated his injuries after various missions. He felt a clutch in his stomach at seeing his fellow villagers motivated by something as petty as revenge never mind that it was misplaced.

"What happened?" he heard Hiro ask in a dreamy voice.

"You just ended your career." Shisui answered casually without looking at her.

Shock ran across her face as she opened her mouth to protest, but was quieted by another.

"I would have to agree with Shisui."

The three turned to find the Third Hokage standing with his lips tight and jaw clenched. He gave the receptionist a look of restrained contempt. Everyone was speechless as Sarutobi walked towards her. Sweat developed on her brow as the Third drew near.

"I would terminate them all right now if I could, but as it is this village needs all the medics it can get."

Hiro's face brightened up as she interpreted the Third's statement as meaning she could keep her job. He was almost too happy to be the bearer of bad news.

"But they can always find a receptionist."

Her face slumped along with her heart as her termination became all but official. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes began to water as the reality set in. There was no sympathy for her in the eyes of the ninja as they watched her teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

Suddenly her expression changed. Her eyes remained wet, but her fair skin took on a deep red ting and her jaw locked tightly.

"You know what? I don't regret what I did. In fact I'd do it again! That damned monster has taken everything from me, from this village, I have to live with a friend since the attack and hardly have anything to wear! I go days without eating a single thing."

Hiro would have continued with her rage filled rant had a hand not grabbed her by the collar. It belonged to Raido who was looking very irritated.

"Shut your mouth! 'That damned monster' is the only thing keeping the real thing from escaping and ripping us to shreds and flattening the village! The Fourth asked us to do one thing, **one thing**!To treat his son as a hero and after all he's done for us you can't even do that?"

Hiro's eyes widened at the bravado shown by Raido and found herself at a loss for words. That is until she remembered that she had pretty much nothing to lose anyway.

"You're wrong! It **is** a monster and it's just waiting, biding its time until we drop our guard!" she prophesied.

Raido's fingers clenched together and Shisui felt he looked prime to strike Hiro. Luckily, the Third Hokage intervened. He wrapped his hand around Raido's wrist and another on his shoulder.

"Raido, there are some people you cannot change."

The elite bodyguard shuddered as he grinded his teeth together, but eventually he calmed. He let out a big sigh deflating his chest. He released Hiro from his hold, but his glare remained.

"Let's go." said Shisui.

The trio walked away the crowd having mysteriously split down the middle. Apparently everyone had taken notice of the verbal confrontation between them and had caught their voices in their throats. Once Sandaime, the Uchiha, and Raido had departed all eyes turned to Hiro whose face had taken on the appearance of a tomato.

"What are you all looking at?" she screamed angrily.

* * *

><p>Norio sighed in annoyance at Jiraiya's antics. After leaving the shrine the pair passed through the closest town. At least that had been the plan. Jiraiya had spotted a woman he referred to as a "7" and promptly gave chase. He returned shortly afterward with a red handprint across his cheek.<p>

Norio thought that would've been the end of it, but Jiraiya wasn't deterred, not in the slightest. From that point on he seemed to be a man possessed as he propositioned any woman that placed above a six on his imagined scale. His latest approach involved a longhaired brunette with a sizable bust. The point of this endeavor was a mystery to Norio.

He tugged at the bottom of Jiraiya's coat to draw his attention. In actuality he unintentionally drew the attention of the woman as well. She squealed at the sight of the short six year old, "Aaaaaah, is that your son?"

"No!" Norio answered much quicker than he meant to.

The woman didn't seem to notice however as she knelt before him still smiling. She pinched his cheek as she said, "He's so cute! The birthmark makes him look like a bulldog."

'_It's not a birthmark!' _he thought begrudgingly.

Jiraiya got between the two, whether it was because he was jealous or because he knew the woman was moving over sensitive territory was unknown, but Norio was grateful for the pinching to stop.

"He's my godson. We're traveling together to find a friend of mine."

"A female friend?" she asked innocently.

A goofy grin graced Jiraiya's face as he caught the hidden meaning. Norio remained oblivious to the subtleties of the courtship. He narrowed his eyes at his godfather and said, "When are we leaving?"

"Leaving?" the woman parroted sadly.

Jiraiya quickly recognized that Norio was going to be no help in his conquest which made him a liability. He kneeled close to Norio's ear.

"Hey, Norio why don't you go find something to do." he suggested.

Norio gave him a look like he was crazy, "Like what? I'm six."

Jiraiya reached into his pocket and pulled out a hefty wallet. Norio saw the woman's eyes sparkle at its size before dimming as Jiraiya withdrew a fair amount to give to Norio.

"Here you go. Buy whatever you want while I handle business here."

Norio took the money, but remained irritated.

"What business?"

Jiraiya wrapped his arm around the voluptuous woman and cast Norio a knowing smile. One that had earned him many strikes from his mother.

"You wouldn't understand. You're six after all." he stated over his shoulder.

Norio grimaced as he strolled away with the concubine. His mother had warned him of how Jiraiya acted around women, but he supposed it took firsthand experience.

A sound from his belly drew his thoughts away from the lecherous man. He was reminded that he had neglected to eat this morning having been excited about traveling with Jiraiya. Now he was left alone in an unfamiliar town and hungry...with a fistful of money.

A jubilant smile spread across his face as he envisioned the delicacies he could buy. Norio began to explore the streets for any vendors. Since daybreak the streets were filled with citizens. The small town seemed to be a hub for those on business. There were carpenters, traders, and even the occasional swindler hustling someone out of their money, but no vendors.

Another pan ripped through his abdomen. He frowned at how demanding his stomach was. Then a scent was picked up by his olfactory nerves. His mouth salivated at the smell of fried cuisine. With his nose in the air like a bloodhound Norio followed the aroma.

He was so focused on feeding himself that he jostled with members of the crowd. After a bit more searching and sniffing he found what he was looking for; a medium-sized food stand with a man inside. He must have been very skillful as he was the only one present.

He employed tempura* in cooking fish, vegetables, and other meats. He tossed some rice from a pan into the air that carried Norio's eyes with it. There were even prepared cuisines such as dumplings, curry chicken, and yakisoba*. The entire sight was a crime to Norio to have so many ambrosial foods in one place made him feel like he was going to die from hunger.

The best thing however wasn't what he could see, but what was invisible. This, of course, being the smell. The fatty fragrance tickled the hairs of his nose making him take deeper breaths just so he could savor it. It was painful to have such delicious looking food so close yet just out of his reach.

"You gonna buy something or are you gonna keep drooling?"

Norio blinked at the question and realized he was in fact staring...and drooling. Wiping the spit from the corner of his mouth his eyes began to scourge the choices he could choose from

The vendor began to tap lightly on his desk, showing his impatience. Norio took notice and his brow involuntarily creased. The repetitive noise of bone striking wood drove him crazy for some reason. His scowl deepened in concentration as he tried to figure out what he wanted and agro at the man's badgering of his stand with his finger.

'_Calm down, Norio. It's his stand. He can do whatever he wants with it.'_

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and almost shouted, "Everything!"

The shopkeeper stopped his infernal thumping to give Norio a strange look. He clearly did not believe his exclamation.

"You can't go around trying to buy everything you see if you don't have the funds." he rubbed his fingers together to help visualize his point, "Where are your parent's kid?"

Norio blocked the thoughts the question provoked instead glowering at the man continued.

"I know that and I have enough! See?"

Norio held out the wad of cash in his eyes and the man's own bulged. His mouth fell open and his chest expanded.

"L-let me help you, young man! What was it you said you wanted? One of everything, right?" he said frantically his attitude taking a U-turn.

Norio watched with glee as the man dropped the multitude of foodstuff into various trays and containers. It was around the fifth one was filled that Norio realized he had a problem.

'_How am I going to carry all of that?'_

True, the number of trays were beginning to stack up and he only had one arm. The vendor either didn't know this or didn't care as he sat the column of food before Norio with an expectant smile.

"Will that be all?" he asked rubbing his palms greedily

Norio stared up at the mountain of sustenance before him. He gave the man a blank look and said, "Do you have any green tea?"

Norio was too preoccupied with his food however to notice. Every step he took was meticulous and deliberate therefore requiring his utmost attention. His hand was warm from the heat and it made his stomach ball up from the thought of indulging himself. The fact that the scent from his buy was now inches from his face didn't help matters.

All this made Norio blissfully unaware of the rock he was fast approaching. The next thing he knew his open toe struck something solid and he was tumbling forward. It was as if everything went into slow motion, the plastic containers dislodged and Norio let out a woeful, "Nooooo!"

He hit the ground, his chin burying into the dirt. He expected his food to follow shortly thereafter and splatter all over him, but it never occurred. Expecting divine providence Norio peered upwards to find his food held in the arms of a young man.

Norio gasped at the spiky hair, a set of blue eyes and the singular word escaped his lips.

"Dad."

The man popped his head from the behind the towering trays and gave Norio a strange look. He must have looked like fool standing there and staring at a total stranger.

"I'm sorry." the mystery man said.

This broke Norio out of his illusion and he hastily stood up and brushed himself off, now embarrassed. More people were now staring his way and this time he was aware of it humiliating him further.

"You should be more careful, buddy." he advised cheerfully.

His smile caused discomfort in Norio reminding him of his father's grin. Norio looked at the ground to avoid the Minato look alike. He lowered his brow in a curious way.

"S-sorry." Norio apologized.

"That's alright. It looks like you could use some help."

The man unintentionally referred to his disability causing Norio to reflexively cover his bandaged arm. The man must have noticed his mistake as he said, "Uh...let me help you with these."

Norio's head shot up and he let out a hasty, "No!"

There was a layer of pride in his statement making it seem as if Norio had been offended. In fact he had been offended, he didn't like the idea of "needing" help just because of his arm. Though he was too polite to voice anything.

"That's okay. I can handle it." Norio assured.

"Akio, what are you doing?" entered another voice.

They both turned to find the question coming from a pretty woman with long red hair and dark eyes. Norio's mind projected an image of Kushina onto the woman forcing him to bite back rising emotions. She was holding a tiny hand in her own. It belonged to a small child with rusty maroon hair and bulging blue eyes. She looked to be about three years younger than Norio.

They stood beside the man, their proximity revealing their relationship as a family. The child looked at Norio unblinkingly, as young children often do. A stare which Norio returned with low eyelids.

"I was helping this little guy with his food, Mana. "

The wife eyed Norio her gaze almost immediately falling on his wrapped arm ant eh sling it was held in. He shifted in an attempt to draw her attention away from it causing her to realize her rudeness.

Their child however wasn't so courteous as she lacked the necessary maturity to avoid making such a statement as, "Mommy, what's wrong with his arm?"

The woman immediately hushed her daughter while Norio gave them all a soulful look. Even though he had just met them he was sensitive enough to feel how close they were. The ethereal yet explicit sparkle that ignited in the eyes of the two parents when they laid eyes on one another. That affectionate paternal gaze they cast on the girl Akio it was all familiar. Too familiar in fact.

It reminded him of his own parents, of the smiles he would never receive from them again and the hugs that could only be given by his memories and imagination. It dug up his craving again, his craving for their walks through the village, a craving for even the scoldings of his mother; he had a craving for his family.

"Where are you going, kid?" asked Akio.

Norio had taken progressively longer steps away from the unit and had just been caught.

"I'm going. You can have the food."

Obviously, this confused the family, but Norio didn't stay around long enough to see their reactions.

"But, it's your food." Mana pointed out.

Without turning around Norio replied, "I'm not feeling so hungry now."

Then Norio was gone leaving the small family bewildered.

* * *

><p>Sarutobi took a quick swig from his cup the contents of which were elusive to those watching, but it must've done its job because the hard lines etched into his face softened and a light blush raised on his cheeks before dying down. Shisui and Raido listened as a groan passed through the room.<p>

For a few seconds the Third kept his eyes closed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. Another sip and he finally seemed ready to speak.

"Besides the part about the hospital staff had in Naruto's kidnapping what else have you uncovered Shisui?"

After being addressed Shisui coughed formally before he began, "Frankly, nothing sir. The receptionist didn't know the culprits identity and I have no further leads."

With a hidden scowl Sarutobi stooped. He already had a very good idea of the mastermind behind this turn of events, but he couldn't confront an elder without proof. Sarutobi and Shisui were tight lipped for another few moments as they both pondered the next best course of action. It wasn't until the other jounin present spoke did a path reveal itself.

"Uh...sir, if I may, there is something we can pursue."

Sarutobi had almost forgotten Raido was in the room until that last statement. The young male had been silent for a good period ever since they left the clinic.

"What is it, Raido?"

The two other shinobi watched as Raido opened one of the pockets on his vest and removed a vial containing a red viscous liquid. Shisui raised his brow at the tube.

"This is the blood from one of the kidnappers. After Kakashi and I thwarted their attempt I acquired this sample." he explained

Hiruzen placed his hands on the desk at this new development. This was exactly what they needed.

"How prudent, Raido. Now we can use the blood to find those responsible." congratulated the Third

Raido allowed himself a small smile. After all it wasn't every day you got compliments from one of the most powerful ninja's in history.

"I would suggest Kakashi's hounds, but he is away on a mission at the moment." Sarutobi continued

"I have a suggestion." said Shisui, "The Inuzuka clan would be ideal for this assignment."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement as that clan specialized in tracking, "I agree, I leave it to you two then to solve this little mystery of ours."

The village head then stood from behind his desk. His face was one of marked determination as he stated, "I have my own affairs to attend to. This misplaced aggression towards a child needs to be addressed."

The duo of jounin tried to figure out the exact meaning behind the Hokage's declaration, but decided it would be revealed to them in due time. They had their own assignment to complete.

After departing and bidding the Third adieu the team of two were leaping through the forestry of the village. The Inuzuka clan's establishment was placed here for the simple reason that the members enjoyed the wild. Shisui felt it was because of their affinity to their ninken canines and living in the forest was done as away to feel closer to them. After all, all dogs were descended from wolves which was an un-domesticated animal by nature.

Shisui was followed closely by his unexpected partner, Raido. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the man's assistance, but something was nagging him.

"Raido, why are you here?"

The tree limb creaked for a millisecond before the weight of the ninja was lifted. Raido looked ahead at Shisui surprised at the direct inquiry.

"You've...failed a mission before, right?"

Shisui had to decide whether the question was even meant to be answered before he said, "Of course. Doesn't everybody?"

They landed and were back into the air before the tree had a chance to groan. Their bodies glided through the forest, a soft breeze kissing their faces and the sound of rushing wind blowing in their ears.

"Yes, I suppose they do, but have you ever failed and it stuck with you? It just nags at you as you think what might've happened if you were a half a step faster or if you used a particular jutsu at a certain time?"

Shisui cogitated that for a moment. There had been times where he though back on how a mission played out, nitpicking at various details with a methodical thumb. Although, he had always done so to improve, to identify any flaws in execution or strategy so that he could avoid making the same mistake twice. What Raido spoke of was more akin to guilt or obsession.

"What is this about?" he asked bluntly

Raido looked at him again with dreary encrusted eyes and Shisui felt the aura of contrition radiate from him. Whatever was eating him had been doing it for awhile now.

"I was assigned to guard Norio Namikaze by his father, but I failed in that mission." he admitted

Shisui's mind flashed back to the "discussion" in the Hokage's office between the Sandaime and Danzo. This train of thought also brought him to the logical conclusion that Raido was the one responsible albeit indirectly for casting suspicion on the Uchiha clan.

"If I had been more vigilant I might've been able to stop that man form getting his hands on Norio and then doing that to his arm. Not to mention the fact he would have never been able to bring the fox here in the first place."

Shisui realized that Raido was still speaking though whether it was to him or to himself he had no idea. Curiosity and perhaps a bit of clan pride got the best of him as he said, "Raido, your account concerning that night."

He took a dramatic pause, "Are you the one who said the man who brought the Nine Tails to Konoha...had a Sharingan?"

Raido was silent at first, his mouth slightly agape and his pupils enlarged, as he just realized what he had revealed and who he revealed it to. His Adam's apple moved in his throat as he took a dry swallow. There was silence save for the gentle whisper of the wind and the suddenly booming chirps of the birds.

His next step on a branch was heavy, knocking a few leaves loose and sending them floating to the ground. A group of the fowl flew away seemingly disturbed by human landing near them or perhaps they could sense the tension in the air.

"Yes, it is true. He had a mask, but I could make out the Sharingan."

Shisui said nothing for an entire minute. Raido was left with his back the whole time, the sun polka dotted shadows shuddering over his clan's symbol. A bead of sweat fell from Raido's forehead, down his cheek, leaving his chin and descending towards the forest floor.

Still, Shisui said nothing. Unable to bear it any longer Raido said, "Shisui, I want you to know. I didn't make that claim to make my failure seem excusable."

Shisui had been jumping with his eyes closed. His mind mulling over the confession from Raido. At the last statement they opened just in time to see the glimmer of his Sharingan dissipate. Luckily for Raido he could control his more base emotions.

"I know and about your mission," he started, "Don't dwell on it. Obsessing over the past blinds you to the present and ensures your future remains just as clouded."

It was quiet again after that, but lacked a certain sense of foreboding. A scrap of emotion flashed across Shisui's face, too subtle to recognize, but he knew what it was. Doubt.

The remainder of the trip couldn't end quick enough, but soon they landed a few feet away from the gate. Standing to greet them were two bear like men possessing the characteristics of their clan with their wild hair and fang markings painted on their cheeks.

The Inuzuka district had only a front gate for an entrance and exit, but the compound could be accessed from almost any side. One of their early leaders reasoned it was because they disliked being boxed in and therefore had a wall on only the front with its back to the forest.

"Why are two jounin here at our gates?" it was more of a statement than anything.

Shisui spoke up confidently, "We're here to speak to Tsume Inuzuka. It involves a case given to the Konoha Police by the Hokage."

"Do you have any papers?" another was quick to say

This time Raido produced the folder containing the specifics of the mission. The second guard took it and began examining it with his cohort. It consisted solely of nods and whispers with the occasional glance towards the unlikely pair.

When he was satisfied he closed the pamphlet and handed it back to Raido.

"Alright, you can go in. Word of advice though Tsume's...tough so be careful what you say and how you say it. Don't act like a dog begging for a treat or she'll kick you out faster than you can blink."

"Duly noted." replied Shisui before the two passed through the gate.

The architecture of the clan was crude in a manner of speaking. There had been no special detail paid to its buildings lacking any decorative embellishments to enhance the structures. The architect seemed content to build houses that provided the fundamental need of shelter and nothing else.

This seemed to be successful however as the construction seemed to be sturdy and durable, doubly so since most, if not all, the property seemed to be unscathed by the recent Kyuubi attack.

It didn't take the tracking skills of the Inuzuka clan to find the home of their leader. It was smack dab in the middle of their territory and was much bulkier than the other surrounding homes.

A knock on the door later and the two waited for a response. They heard a pair of feet walking towards the door, but could tell by the sound of their footsteps that they were not an adult.

The door creaked lightly as it opened to reveal a pre-pubescent girl of the Inuzuka clan, but her features were notably softer than her kinfolk. She stood still as the two men waited for a greeting. After a few awkward seconds it became apparent that it wasn't coming so Shisui broke the silence.

"Um...is Tsume here?"

The little girl tilted her head in an investigative fashion, blinking twice. Her nose twitched about reminiscent of her clan's battle companions. Her eyes traveling to the headbands they wore.

""Mom isn't here." she answered, "and Dad doesn't like to be woken up. What do you need?"

Shisui exchanged glances with Raido while Hana continued to stare.

"We need a ninja dog to follow the scent from this." Raido informed.

He pulled out the vial of blood earning a drawn out, "Ewwwwww!" from Hana.

She shivered at the bodily fluid showing the proper response of a six year old. Shisui held back a chuckle as they waited for her to calm down.

"I can help." she said.

Raido began to protest, but by then she was whistling down the hallway. Three huskies came bounding around the corner their tongues hanging over their pointed canines. They almost tackled Hana to the floor covering her in slobbery salutations. She giggled as she fought back the exuberant animals. She settled them down petting them lovingly.

"Alright, guys do you want to help these guys with something?"

The triplet's turned their attention to Shisui and Raido. Their eyes observed them with intelligence more befitting of a human than mere dogs. The middle one, which Shisui theorized was the oldest, barked at the other two who whined momentarily before letting out their own howls.

The perceived eldest pointed his muzzle at Hanna and let out a strange sound that came from his throat then nodded. Hana seemed to understand this form of communication as she gave a head movement of clarity.

"Ok, they'll help, but they want a steak from you."

Shisui thought he suffered from an auditory hallucination causing him to blink.

"A steak?" he reiterated.

"Yeah, three of them."

Shisui stared at the staunch canines. He was no expert in the cues but he could tell the three were not going to waver in their bargain. Their long bodies stood stout and straightened. In the end he supposed a couple hundred ryo was a small price to pay for their services.

"Fine." He conceded.

The trio gave each other congratulatory whelps and Shisui swore he saw one of them crack a smile.

"And I'm coming too." She added.

This is where Shisui drew the line. There was potential danger on this mission and bringing a child along, even an Inuzuka, would be irresponsible not to mention stupid. Besides if worst came to worst she could be used as a hostage or even killed.

"I can't allow that." He answered.

Hana pouted and placed her hands on her hips in an exaggerated motion. She gave Shisui as stern a look a six year old could muster and said, "If you take my dogs, you take me."

The two engaged in a staring match each trying to get the other to back down. Unfortunately, it was a stalemate. Shisui had already been swindled out of three steaks and so he was not about to give way to this little girl. However Hana was an Inuzuka so she could be quite stubborn.

Several seconds passed without either showing signs of submitting. Hana crossed her arms over her chest and puffed out her cheeks most likely thinking it would convince Shisui. It didn't, of course, and they continue to eye one another. Another couple of seconds and still no progress was made. Raido sweat-dropped at the two then noticed the sun was getting low.

He leaned in behind Shisui and whispered, "Shisui, it's getting late and we're already half a day behind. If we don't hurry we could lose our only lead."

Shisui's mouth drooped slightly and he let out a sigh.

"Alright, we don't have time for this."

Hana was red by now letting Shisui know she had been holding her breath in a bid to guilt him into letting her come along. Her cheeks deflated and her face twisted into a toothy grin.

"You can come."

He motioned for Raido to provide the blood. Popping the cork he held it under the nose of the eldest and the brothers took turns inhaling the invisible fumes. Their snouts expanded and shrunk repetitively as they familiarized themselves with a fragrance only they could detect. After a minute or so of this the three rushed past Hana and the others.

The trees groaned as the duodecimal legs of the Haimaru brothers touched down on their branches before jumping away gain. Their bipedal tails followed close behind pumping chakra through their legs. The sun cast independent circles through the heavy canopy illuminating the shadowy patches of the backwoods.

Shisui wasn't surprised that the trail seemingly led deeper into the forest. Going by the account of the report Kakashi had wounded one of the abductors so it made sense they would stop to tend to their injuries. They couldn't go to the hospital without revealing their faces, but then again after the recent incident it would be a total shocker if they were able to receive treatment with their masks.

He was also mulling over the fact that he had been forced to bring along a child. He was no sensei and besides Itachi he had no experience with children. Never mind the fact the danger she was placing herself in if a fight broke out. He looked ahead at the trainer and her ninken, a feeling of foreboding rising in his chest.

"We're here." Chirped Hana over her shoulder.

She seemed happy to be assisting them with that childish smile adorned across her face. They touched down in a heavy brush with their backs to the forestry behind them the smell of oak invaded their nostrils.

"Whoever you're looking for is over there." She said pointing.

Shisui and Raido realized that she was referring to the other side of the bush. They both poked their heads inside the shrub using their hands to part any branches. On the other side they spotted a conspicuous cabin that sat in the middle of the area.

Several holes in its triangular roof suggested its age and shattered windows implied no one was responsible for its upkeep or had neglected it. Though he could tell from this distance that the boards used to cover some of the windows were freshly shaven.

"It looks like we're on the right track." Piped Raido.

"It seems that way." Concurred Shisui.

He still had that pit in his stomach that warned him of imminent danger, but at least they were getting somewhere.

"So what are we gonna do next?"

They both looked down to see Hana's head jutted out of the shrubbery looking up at the two in antsy anticipation. Shisui's forehead creased at Hana's presumption.

" 'We' are not doing anything. You're staying out here." He revealed.

That puppy dog pout that seemed so natural to her spread across her face as her eyes pulsed. She obviously thought Shisui's training couldn't withstand a little muscular manipulation of the force. He delved into her dark eyes to try and drive home that point, but her expression persisted.

He slanted his eyes in annoyance at the girl's persistence. Raido felt it best for the mission and Shisui's patience to intervene.

"Hana, we're already pushing it by bringing you along so let's just let Shisui search the cabin, huh?"

Hana's cutesy pout shifted into one of disbelief. Her mouth hung open and her brows rose as she realized her ploy wasn't succeeding.

"But I can help." She argued.

"You've helped enough." Interjected Shisui.

"What if you need backup? The Haimaru brother's and I can—"

"Enough!" interrupted Shisui, "Back into the bush."

His messy black head disappeared behind the green followed by Raido. Hana kept her position, a scowl raised in the corner of her face until she felt a tug pull her back. The three canines watched the human's interact in hidden bemusement while they resigned themselves to reclined positions.

"Hey!" Hana whined as Shisui released her.

The elder ninja squatted to get eye level with the girl. His face looked chiseled from stone because of the no nonsense expression he wore.

"Listen, Hana you're going to stay here with Raido and your ninken while I inspect that cabin. You understand?"

She opened her maw to protest, but Shisui hushed her with a vertical finger.

"Understand?" he repeated.

Hana huffed as she balled her hands into fists and placed them on her hips. She now refused to even look at Shisui. He had no choice but to accept this reaction as an indication of her compliance.

Shisui mentally sighed while Raido must've found this situation funny because he was chuckling. This earned him a wry look from Shisui but nothing more.

He left their position behind the boscage and stepped out into the open. As he neared the unimpressive wooden place he realized how old it actually was. The timber had lost its luster rendering it a pale grey color. Erosion left the finish weathered and splintered rotting the wood full of holes. From the glass that Shisui could see of the windows they were caked in dust.

Shisui wrapped his hand around the rusted door handle. He mentally prepared himself for what could be on the other side. Adrenaline caused his heartbeat to quicken and his sweat glands became active. He inhaled deeply before expelling it in abundance. He activated his Sharingan and opened the door.

The old hinges moaned audibly as he stepped inside. The tiny cabin was cloaked in shadows save for the trail of dull amber light that snuck inside through the open door and the thin beams that squeezed through the spaces of the boards. His abnormal eyes scanned the room for any sign of life, but all he saw was the retreating darkness and a single table with bloodied bandages sprawled across the top.

Shisui stepped in deeper to the house the floorboards creaked under his weight and the hanging dust tickled his nose. He fought back a sneeze and treaded carefully in case someone was still inside. Standing over crimson wraps not daring to touch them he moved his head from side to side in brief inspection.

'_Whoever was using this place is gone now._' His hands hovered over the bandages, 'But why leave_ evidence behind? Unless…"_

It was then that his eardrums picked up the soft hissing sound in the dark like a snake warning a potential attacker…or exploding tags.

Back outside Hana sat cross-legged with a grimace on her face obviously still sour about being baby sat. Her animals were all sleeping around her or at least had their eyes closed. Hana balled her lips and began to tap the inside of her arm. Raido stood not five feet away his arms also crossed.

He watched Shisui open the door carefully and proceed inside with deliberation. He kept an eye on Hana who was growing increasingly restless.

"How long is he going to be in there?" she requested

Raido glanced at her before bringing his eyes back to the cabin. He should've known the Inuzuka's impatience would show in this girl.

"He just stepped inside. Shisui is very thorough so it might take a while."

Her eyes rolled while she let out a big sigh all the while cocking her head to the side. She stood up leaving a thin impression in the grass. The canine brothers awoke at their master's movement and started to follow Hana out of the forestry.

"I'm going to help. The Haimaru's will pick up something faster than he can."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Raido might as well have said nothing for all the good it did. Hana and her partners had already made pace towards the cabin. Raido released a breath and stepped out as well.

"Hana, get back here it's not safe." He called his voice low.

With a backwards glance Hana said, "What's the worst that can happen? It's not like something's gonna blow—"

Her retort was cut short by a thundering explosion that shattered the cabin and sent countless splinters through the air. Hana was floored by the shockwave as well as her ninken. Raido maintained his footing and rushed to Hana's side.

She was curled into a ball with her hands cupping the sides of her head. Her eyes were sealed shut and her head. Her eyes were sealed shut and her jaw tightened. The trio was not much better off as they whined and whimpered in discomfort.

Raido checked her body for any shrapnel perforations but luckily besides a few grass stains and possibly some ruptured eardrums she seemed fine.

"Aaaahh! My ears hurt!" she complained as she rolled in place.

Raido grabbed her wrists and pried them away from her ears. There was no blood leaking from her ears so she would recover in a few minutes. With Hana secure Raido turned his attention towards the smoldering pile of ash that was the cabin.

The explosion had obliterated the small building casting a black ring around the foundation. Furious flames flickered lively crackling and popping as it burned the wood. The fire warmed Raido's face and sent an inky plume of smoke high into the air.

Raido couldn't help but think that Shisui was rising with it.

* * *

><p>Norio fell back panting against the tree. His hand twitched from his Rasengan training. He closed his eyes in an attempt to control his breathing and settle down.<p>

'_Breathe in…out…in…out.' _He repeated in his mind.

The faster his stamina recovered the faster he could get back to training. After that episode with that family it was the only thing that stopped his mind from wondering on topics of his family. A bolt of pain through his palm made him look at his cherry colored hand.

He wasn't used to forming a jutsu with his left hand which made the already difficult jutsu even more challenging. It wasn't until he actually started training that his disability became apparent to him.

He kept trying to throw punches that didn't extend and tossing projectiles proved awkward and clumsy. As this dragged on he began to question his overall ability. How was he supposed to be a ninja with one arm? It might have been more likely if it wasn't his dominant arm affected.

All of this seemed depressive enough that Norio almost stopped training but he couldn't. If he did so that would be the opportune time for morbid sounds and images to weigh him down.

Standing up he felt cold steel press against his chest. It was Minato's signature kunai tucked away in a breast pocket on the inside of his coat. He'd placed it there to keep memories form overflowing, to forget and yet it was actually serving as more of a memento than anything else.

He fished it out of his coat, trying not to look over it in a descript way. The handle felt different in his left hand as if his fingers were trying to grip sand. He clumsily threw it into a nearby tree. There was a dull thud as the blade just barely pierced the trunk.

It hung out of the bark looking ready to fall at any moment. It was the mark of a novice and it belonged to Norio. He wanted to drive a Rasengan right into the back of the kunai, but he knew that the jutsu, no matter how incomplete, would bend the kunai beyond repair and he couldn't let that happen.

It was paradoxical really, he didn't want to concentrate on his parents and yet he was treasuring a short of "keepsake" from his father.

"Oh, you still have that?" said a voice.

Norio turned around to find Jiraiya walking towards him with a strange plastic cup and chopsticks. His face seemed depressed as if he'd just recently been frowning. His eyes were drawn towards the poorly thrown kunai.

Norio felt embarrassed that his shoddy excuse for accuracy was on display now.

Jiraiya took his eyes off the kunai and back to Norio handing him the cup and pair of chopsticks.

"Here, I thought you might be hungry so I picked something up."

It was warm in Norio's hand while the chopsticks were smooth and tiny. Norio placed the cup on the ground and realized that it was Instant Ramen. He stared at it for several seconds and then started blinking. Then he stopped and stared for a prolonged period of time once more.

Jiraiya raised his brow at the odd behavior. Norio seemed to have frozen in place, all of a sudden he was as still as a statue.

"Norio?" Jiraiya called.

At hearing his name Norio's hand began to shake and he took a sharp intake of breath. The green grass beneath him developed darker spots that trailed behind one another. It took a minute for Jiraiya to realize he was crying. He scratched his head as to try to figure out what caused this.

"Ramen…it was Mom's favorite." He murmured.

As he wiped away his tears Jiraiya felt a little stupid for overlooking this detail. Now he had inadvertently drug up memories, memories that were once cherished by the boy, but now only bought pain. He was about to extend a comforting hand when Norio suddenly became animated again.

He began to shovel down the noodles in haste. It was messy to say the least because Norio wasn't used to eating left handed, most of the food missed his mouth and was sent flying.

"Norio, what are you doing?"

A stray noodle dangled from his mouth as he lowered his chopsticks. He slurped it up and wiped the seasoned water from off his face.

"This was Mom's favorite, but I never had it before...so I wanted to try it."

Jiraiya smiled a little and took the chopsticks from Norio.

"Let me help you with that then."

Norio frowned a bit at the offer. That was the second time someone had presumed he needed help **just** because of his arm.

"I can do it myself." He stated.

Jiraiya tilted his head casting a perplexed look his way, "You sure because from I'm standing that doesn't look true."

Norio turned away at this knowing he couldn't dispute that claim. He mumbled something barely audible before saying, "Fine."

Jiraiya nodded a picked up a nice collection of noodle. They dropped colored water into the cup and wrapped around t chopsticks like limp snakes. As Jiraiya brought them towards his face Norio smelled scent they gave off. It was heavy and reeked of pork flavoring. He was reminded of how hungry he was and opened his mouth to eat.

The noodles were slippery and its juices lathered his tongue. The pork spice watered his mouth making the already saturated noodles even easier to swallow.

"Well?"Jiraiya asked.

Norio was silent for a moment as his taste-buds processed the food.

"It's...good. I see why Mom liked it so much, but I like Hayabashi stew better." he admitted.

The Toad Hermit continued to feed Norio oddly not finding it demeaning. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Norio was handicapped but he wasn't reacting to it as he thought he would. It didn't take long for him to finish up.

'_He must've been hungrier than I thought.'_

They were now leaving the small town the sun casting an orange hue over the clouds as it sunk out of view. They had enjoyed a comfortable silence until Norio finally spoke up.

"Hey, what happened to that woman?" he asked.

Jiraiya stopped and his face contorted into one of annoyance and contempt. Norio thought his question was the cause of this change until Jiraiya sucked on his teeth audibly.

"The little minx was only interested in one thing and I wasn't interested in that."

Norio maintained an inquisitive look as his mind tried to deduce exactly what it was Jiraiya was interested in.

"The rogue made off with a sizable chunk of my money when I wasn't looking. I tell you Norio, beware the three vices of a shinobi: wine, women, and money." he revealed.

Norio blinked at the revelation. His father always spoke Highly of Jiraiya's skill so he found it hard to believe a random lady could just steal from him so easily. This was reflected in the critical look he gave his godfather.

"What? Look I know it sounds like a tall tale, but you see I was distracted by" he glanced to his left for a second, "other things."

Norio noticed the perverted blush across his cheeks when he said "distracted" making him wonder again at what could cause such a break in attention. He continued to eye Jiraiya suspiciously.

"What's with the look? If it's about where we're going to stay don't worry about it, I'll figure out something."

Norio narrowed his eyes, "I didn't say anything about that."

"Oh." he stated dumbly.

He rubbed the back of his head while a forced grin turned his lips upward and wrinkled his cheeks, but Norio noticed his eyes remained dull. He was obviously forcing a smile.

"How much did she take?"

His pupils were averted to the ground and he scratched the crown of his head again, this time with more vigor. He turned his body half way to the side, away from Norio and exhaled deeply. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes for a moment. He peeked out one eye at Norio who was still waiting for his answer.

Closing them again he waited and said, "All of it."

There was silence as Norio's mouth hung. He didn't believe Jiraiya because he was joking. This whole story about being robbed of all his money which would leave them outside, in the cold nights of October, for who knows how long until they found Tsunade with no sleeping bags, was just one big joke. Too bad Norio didn't find it funny.

"What!" Norio shouted, "What do you mean, all of it?"

Jiraiya anticipated this reaction which was why he had tried to hide it from the start.

"Calm down. I have it covered I just have to-"

"Hey!" interrupted a voice.

It came from behind them. Jiraiya was oblivious as to who it came from but Norio froze upon hearing the voice. It belonged to that chocolate haired adult who bore a passing resemblance to a certain someone. Norio saw Jiraiya's pupils expand upon spotting the man. He must've noticed similarities between him and his former pupil.

Norio maneuvered behind Jiraiya in the hopes the man wouldn't recognize him. He stopped before them and put his hands on his knees. His back and shoulders rose in sync as the 20 year old caught his breath. He was holding something in his left hand.

"Do I know you?" questioned Jiraiya.

Akio gathered himself and spoke.

"Sorry, my name's Aiko. I met your son earlier today and I couldn't let him go without paying him back."

"I'm not his son." Norio vocalized.

"Why would you pay him back?" Jiraiya inquired.

Akio held up his hands in a passive manner. A full grown man tracking a six year old down to "pay him back" for unknown services would raise concern in anybody who wasn't a pedophile.

"Let me explain...Norio was carrying a whole bunch of food, but was having trouble carrying it."

Norio grimaced not liking having someone point out his disability albeit indirectly once again. Neither adult seemed to notice however as Aiko continued.

"Well, he ran off before I could give it back to him so I'm here to pay him back for giving that food to us."

He held out the check for Jiraiya to take. The sage surveyed the piece of paper carefully then brought his gaze to Norio.

"Is this true, Norio?"

The short child nodded meekly not once looking up at Akio. Jiraiya returned to the man and relieved him of the check. With his debt paid Aiko was feeling the awkwardness, if he hadn't felt it before, and decided now would be the best time to make his leave.

"Well, I guess that's it. I'll be going now." he gave Norio a friendly nod then turning to Jiraiya, "You have a good kid, sir."

Norio opened his mouth to correct the mistake, but the man was already leaving. He gave Jiraiya an exasperated look and said, "Can we go now?"

He didn't wait for Jiraiya to answer and turned to leave. Jiraiya pulled his eyes away from the check and strolled beside Norio.

"Well, what'd I tell you. I had everything under control."

Norio inwardly rolled his eyes. The lie was so obvious now that it would be pathetic to call him on it so he stayed silent and kept his eyes forward. Jiraiya tucked the wallet away for safe keeping.

"Come on Norio cheer up. It's not every day you get to travel with a Sannin to find a Sannin."

Norio simply shot him an unimpressed look and kept walking. Jiraiya realized his attempt to cheer the boy had failed so he decided on a more direct approach.

"Hey, Norio how about a race? The first one to the nearest town wins."

Norio stopped and turned to look at Jiraiya. He could see a smirk pulling at his mouth, but he was preventing it from forming. More than likely due to stubbornness.

"What do I get if I win?"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin satisfied that his ploy worked, "How about I buy you some Hayabashi stew and green tea and not only that, I teach you how to master the Rasengan."

With that promise Norio's resolve crumbled and he began to beam. His teeth started to show and his eyes became the size of saucers. Jiraiya grinned at his predictability.

"Okay, on your mark."

Sarutobi sat in the center of the desk, a pipe in his fingers, between his two former teammates . It was a strange piece of work, shaped like a large "U" save for the fact that the top of the desk branched off in separated directions which provided his two peers with their own desks. Homura Mitokado, sat to his right, while Koharu Utatane, sat on his left. Time had greyed their faces and wrinkled their features not unlike himself.

'_Listen to me. I'm actually buying into Jiraiya's and Danzo's nonsense.'_

In front of them stood the various clan leaders of the village: Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Uchiha. Along with them were several jounin in the village. However one person stood out to Sarutobi. Danzo.

His old friend could almost be overlooked with the position he took in the crowd. He looked unimposing and harmless, almost docile. His mouth, along with Hiashi and Fugaku, remained wired while some of the others conversed among themselves, trying to figure out why they were summoned.

This manner of thinking was to be expected given the fact that he hadn't told anyone why they were called upon.

"Sarutobi, what is the purpose of this meeting." whispered Homura.

Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and then belched out a plume of smoke. A sigh followed and he gave the crowd a deathly expression. All chatter ceased and every eye was trained on the Third Hokage.

"Everyone, I know you're wondering why I called you all here so abruptly." a silence served as confirmation from everyone, "The reason being that I feel the village has not honored the request of our past Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

There were a few raised brows at this comment, but no protests. Sarutobi knew that wouldn't last much longer however as he continued.

"That is the reason I organized this impromptu meeting." he took a pause in speech, "Today I am making it an official law that no one is to speak of the Tailed Beast sealed within Naruto Uzumaki."

This caused a little bit more reaction from the mass, but Koharu was the first to convey anything.

"Uzumaki, Sarutobi?"

Hiruzen nodded. He was sure that would turn a few heads in the least.

"Yes, I've decided that Naruto will take the surname of his mother. To protect him from anymore unnecessary animosity."

There was a quiet acceptance of the rule with no one stepping up to protest. A short time passed and no one said a word. That was until Danzo spoke up finally.

"That's not it is it?" his words seemed to shatter the taciturn air like glass; "Surely you didn't call us here for just that announcement? What else is this about?"

Sarutobi rewarded his friend with an invisible grin. It was times like this where he wished he used his intelligence for more peaceful pursuits than militant ones. He took a deep breath and chewed on the amber material of the cigar bit.

Standing up slowly he surveyed the crowd of familiar faces. He was never one to hesitate, but he was taking a little longer than he expected to. He had been tossing this decision around in his mind for what seemed like a long time and had only decided on it after his trip to visit his wife.

"I would like to announce that I am resigning as Hokage."

* * *

><p>Alright, man that took a long time, but I'm so glad I got it finished. I know not much happened here, but I wanted to reveal more of Norio's personality as well as advance a few more subplots. Did anyone notice the hints I gave out for Norio's summons or his chakra nature? He's going to have an adventure with them very soon, nothing too long just a small quest. I can't wait to get to the village though and introduce teams though. Oh well, I'll have to be patient.<p>

I hope you guys enjoyed it because I enjoyed writing.

Author Notes:

Hiro Yotaru: "Hiro" means vast or wide and "Yotaru" means liar. I decided on this name for the receptionist because it can be understood as a "great liar".

Tempura: This is a cooking technique used to deep fry and batter a dish. Usually seafood.

Notes:

I liked your characterization of both Shisui and a young Itachi – both were very believable and in-character, I thought. I like how Shisui got the information out of Hiro, very nice use of the Sharingan.

I also loved how Jiraiya's relationship with Norio reflects the relationship he has with Naruto in the series. I spotted a few lines Jiraiya says to Naruto from the series too and I thought they were a nice touch.

Hiro's name is very fitting.

There wasn't much else to comment on apart from there were a few full stops missing here and there. Aside from that, it was good.


	6. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

**The First Day of the Rest of Your Life**

A youthful looking woman with lengthy blonde hair sat cross legged in the middle of a dimly lit room. It smelled of smoke and trickery which was to be expected given the fact that this was a gambling den. People lost their money here hourly, whether it was legitimately or not however was a question that was never asked for fear of attracting some unwanted attention.

Due to her rather endowed features she had enough of that as it was so she definitely wasn't going to start an inquiry especially not this late in the game. She crossed her arms over her bosom not because she was afraid mind you, but because the ogling was beginning to piss her off.

Her brown eyes scanned the room, a result of her training as a ninja, and noticed the gestures and postures of those inside. The guards or rather henchman stood erect with their hands clasped behind their backs or crossed in front of their chests. They were all men with gruff appearances obviously chosen for intimidation value as most were either heavily muscled or bore some ominous looking weapon. She stopped herself from scoffing at the idea of anyone of them actually frightening her.

None of them blinked in an attempt to demonize their appearance. In her observation she ended up catching one's eye and he mistakenly thought of this as a come on because he blew a cringe worthy kiss her way and then chortled revealing yellow misshapen teeth. She didn't attempt to stop the groan that escaped from her mouth, but she kept her temper in check.

She couldn't afford to lose control and pulverize the lecherous males. As long as none of them tried anything with her...or her assistant. The girl was sixteen and therefore had "developed" as she grew towards womanhood. No doubt this would draw the eyes of the perverted, but as long as they looked and refrained from touching they would live.

Finally her eyes landed on the man in front of her. The lieutenant or general or some type of leader of this group she was deigning to associate with, but he wasn't actually what was catching her attention. It was the small cube shaped items held in his right hand with black dots of varying numerical value on each of it's six faces.

He had been rattling them for a full minute now as if he was getting some kick out of seeing her frustration which he probably was. The little imp was known for his darker tendencies. If only he would spend more of that sadistic energy trying to regrow the crop of hair missing from the crown of his head.

Though admittedly he did keep himself well dressed in the most ostentatious kimonos, no doubt paid for by the money he hustled away from some unwitting kamo*. It was a far cry from the homely appearance of his bodyguards who looked as if they had been dragged through the mud, chewed up, spit back out, then stepped on for good measure.

"Are you going to roll the dice or not?" she stated impatiently.

His hand stopped his torturous shaking and he gave her a look of arrogance. A cocky smile crawled over his face shining a tacky golden tooth for all to see.

"Just making sure that **you're **sure. I mean you're already in for...how much now?" he said.

Apparently he must have slipped in a joke she didn't have the sense of humour to grasp because it elicited a hymn of snickers from his subordinates. After they had finished kissing the boss's ass and settled down she heard a concerned groan and a drawn out oink from behind her.

"I know how much I'm in for. Now can you roll the die?" she asked as she began to tap her arm.

Another smug expression lined his mug as he fiddled with the dice between his fingers. It was officially settled after that. He was just toying with her, taking her as a joke, as if the reaction from his cohorts wasn't enough evidence. She hated having her luck misjudged simply from a few losses...okay maybe not a few, but still luck had a funny way of changing didn't it. That's why it was called luck, right?

"I'll do that as sure as you ensure that you have the money to pay me when...excuse me **if** you lose."

She was no fool, she had caught his "slip of the tongue" and even if she was unsure, the next batch of false laughter would have tipped her off. She made no attempt to hide the grimace forming at the corner of her mouth as she trained her eyes on the little man.

"Shizune." she called without taking her eyes off him.

She heard feet tapping against the wood as her young assistant came beside her. She knelt down on both knees and laid a wide metal briefcase flat. Before she opened it she turned towards her mistress and whispered, "Are you sure about this, Lady Tsunade?"

The buxom blonde said not a word and continued to stare at the slimy man in front of her. All this did was confirm Shizune's worst fears: She was going through with it. With a dejected sigh she opened the case, the clamps clicking, and pulled open the top.

She spun it around to face the man and saw his eyes light up with glee. Avarice became the main emotion as he eyed the two rows of bills placed neatly inside the case. The notes looked sharp enough to spill blood if one was careless. Before he ended up with an orgasm Tsunade motioned for Shizune to close the case.

His pupils contracted back to their original size and he closed his mouth shut. Straightening his back like a plank, his face stiffened as well. He seemed to have finally realized that Tsunade meant business.

He held up the dice once more and the room fell silent. As he began to shake them in his palm a lone sweat drop ran down the side of Shizune's face. Tsunade's piglet, Tonton, let out a worried squeal causing Shizune to nod in agreement.

Tsunade remained as staunch and unmoving as when she first arrived in the gambling den. She had grown so accustomed to the mounting tension that it no longer affected her not even causing a simple eye twitch. All she was focused on was the die, boring holes into the man's hand as if that could change the outcome of the roll.

He took a dramatic pause and looked around the room making Tsunade's grimace deepen at his theatrics. Finally he let the pieces fly out his hand as he threw them to the floor.

**xxxx**

Mikoto finished wrapping the last onigiri* into a wrapping of seaweed. The triangular rice balls with an algae centre was Itachi's favourite and would be his lunch for today. Today being the first day of the Academy. Admittedly, like any other parent, she had been a bit sad to see her little boy go off to school, but she had accepted it or rather had been forced to accept it.

She looked over her shoulder at her family. Itachi was currently tip toeing over Sasuke's crib and wagging a finger to tease his little brother. Joyful giggles were heard as a pair of stubby arms were seen reaching towards Itachi's finger. Fugaku was partially hidden behind a newspaper, flipping through the pages every few seconds almost routinely.

She almost laughed at the stereotypical family she had. The innocent infant, the equally as innocent but older child, the stern father and the sweet and loving housewife preparing food for her boy. It was the perfect setting for a homey TV series.

Placing the last rice ball into the bento box she looked inside and felt a bit of pride well up in her at her work. Four professionally crafted onigiri placed adeptly inside the bento box.

"Itachi, are you ready?" she asked her eldest.

The young boy ceased his playtime with his brother and Mikoto swore she heard a whine from the crib. Itachi picked up his black back pack and looked up into his mother's face. She handed him his lunch and he eagerly looked at the contents.

A smile was her reward for the hard work she put into providing a meal for him as well as a gratuitous "Thank you".

He slipped it inside his bag and grabbed the scraps in preparation of the short trip.

"Alright, now say goodbye to your father, Itachi."

The small boy turned towards his Dad who had not lowered the newspaper and said, "Goodbye, Father."

"Goodbye Itachi." he answered evenly.

The paper never fell from his face, however, making the farewell seem insincere or at the very least half-hearted. Itachi's joyous grin faltered as Mikoto shot Fugaku a death glare for his insensitivity.

"Fugaku, isn't there something else you want to say to your son?"

She made sure to emphasize the word "son" just so that he knew what she was talking about. This was enough for him to lower the paper and glance at his wife and child. With the combination of her scowl and Itachi's frown, his mind began to wonder what had transpired. Being a ninja he was attuned to danger and his senses were telling him that Mikoto was the source of it.

His dark eyes darted from Itachi and Mikoto and back before he had some idea of what he had done wrong. He folded the paper and placed it to the side, pulling his legs from under the table he looked at Itachi and said, "Come here son."

The future heir of the clan gave his mother a quick look who motioned for him to obey his father. He moved over to his father and stood motionless as Fugaku placed two hands on him covering his shoulder.

"Itachi...I uh...want you to have a good day...alright. And uh..." he gave Mikoto a brief eyeball flash who returned with a head nod to let him know to continue, "don't overwork yourself."

Mikoto watched the somewhat awkward exchange between father and son. She knew he loved their sons, but he was so used to keeping his emotions in check behind a mask of impartiality that he often sustained it at home when he was supposed to be a serious yet also caring father.

She blamed it on his long years as clan leader. Such a position required one to be detached and logical or risk making mistakes that could prove detrimental to the clan as a whole. Though she was glad he wasn't so even-minded that he didn't notice when his neutrality had inadvertently hurt his child's feelings.

Still, he could use some work on expressing himself more without coming off as robotic.

"And remember you're an Uchiha so...I'm sure you'll do fine." he finished with a proud nod.

Itachi was staring at him in a way that suggested he was a bit bewildered at his father's pep talk, but he remained respectful and simply bowed. Mikoto sensed the uneasiness of them both and intervened.

"Alright, now I think it's time for us to go, Itachi."

The two departed with Mikoto planting a thank you kiss on Fugaku's forehead before the door closed. Once they were gone, Fugaku fell back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. One thought flowed through his head as he did this, _'Women.'_

He was about to return to his paper when Sasuke's cooing brought his attention to the crib. When Mikoto had informed him that she was pregnant with their second son he admittedly felt a little...scared. Yes, he, the stone faced leader of the most elite clan of Konoha had been afraid.

He felt justified however as any parent can attest to, it can be a little frightening once the reality sets in that you are responsible for the life of someone else. Actually that wasn't what had frightened him. What did scare him was the fact that he was responsible for the lives of **two **children.

He had expected his time as leader of the Uchiha and being the father of Itachi for six years would prepare him for this. After all watching over a clan required discipline, time and patience which was not so different than raising a child, but there were indeed differences.

The main one being that Itachi and Sasuke were **his **children, two people that had come from his body, which would automatically place emotional value onto them. With the clan even he was allowed to make some mistakes as no one was perfect, but he couldn't fail his children as the results would be shown for all to see and exist to punish him for the remainder of his days.

Which was probably why he was so distant with Itachi now. Mikoto often chastised him for this, but he really could not help it. It was simply his way of preparing his son for the duty he would have to fulfil as clan leader and perhaps as a father.

A knock on the door brought his attention away from his thoughts of family and he rose to answer. He wasn't expecting anyone today especially not at this hour so he wondered who it could be.

He opened the door and was surprisingly greeted by a young man with the characteristics of his clan: black hair and dark eyes. But he also had a large bandage on his left cheek and a much smaller one on his right.

"Shisui." Fugaku greeted.

**xxx**

Mikoto stood with Itachi at the entrance to the Academy. Apparently they were late because the school yard was empty as well as the hallways.

"Sorry about that Itachi. I hate that you're late on your first day." she apologized.

He gave her a dismissive shrug and said, "It's okay."

Mikoto smiled at the resemblance to his father as Itachi just repeated one of his mannerisms. It disappeared however when she realized that now she would have to let Itachi go for the day. She had already come to terms with that or at least she thought she had until the time came to actually do it.

Ever since Kushina's death she had been a bit more protective of him as well as anyone else close to her. It had shook her whole world and opened her eyes again to the mortality they all shared. Shaking her head of the thoughts she remembered that Itachi needed to get to class.

"Okay, goodbye Itachi, I'll be by to pick you up later okay?"

He nodded candidly and turned to walk inside but her hand reached for his shoulder to gently turn him around.

"Do I get a hug before you go?"

Itachi looked at her for a moment before wrapping her legs in one of the tightest hugs she had felt. She knelt down as best she could to wrap her arms around him and pulled him in close. She wanted to stay like this for a bit longer than was necessary as she took in his scent and his warmth.

She broke it, however, before she actually followed up and made him later than he already was. Pulling him out at arms length she gave him a kiss on the forehead which made him blush slightly.

"Alright, I'll see you later then." Itachi waved at her then turned to leave, "Make sure you listen to the teacher." she called after him as he went inside the door.

As he bounded down the hallway she opened the door again and said, "And make friends! Lots and lots of friends!"

He disappeared around the corner making her unaware of whether or not he heard her last message. With Itachi out of sight and Mikoto unable to follow she stood in the empty hallway for a few more moments. Trying to recall her own Academy days brought up a heavy fog with one of the only conceivable images being a head of red hair.

**xxx**

"Itachi, I'm glad you could join us. I was just about to mark you absent."

Itachi observed his sensei for a moment. He was a fairly large man with a devilish stubble as a goatee. He wore the standard chunin vest and his head band was tied up like a cap covering the top of his head. Despite his stern expression Itachi could make out the permanent upturned lines at the corners of his face meaning he smiled a great deal. This also meant he was probably much more amiable than his current tone suggested, but because Itachi was a respectful young lad and he understood the authority a teacher needed to maintain in class he obeyed.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." he apologized.

He had considered telling his sensei exactly why he was so late, but decided it didn't really matter. The fact would remain regardless so he decided to find a seat and make it a point to not be late again.

His eyes travelled to a seat close to where he entered, but then he also spotted the sparkly eyes of some girls which made him apprehensive for some reason. He quickly trained it to another location and found a more suitable seat three rows down. It was adjacent to the aisle so he would not have to step over anyone to get to his seat. Plus, the closest person was a seat over, an empty space between him and a chocolate haired girl, who was actually paying him no attention unlike her peers, so he would have ample space.

He sat down as his teacher ran through the remaining names marking a check on the clipboard with each person he called. The family names came first and then the given names followed as was customary.

"Let's see." he said looking at the clipboard, "Inuzuka Hana."

"Here." responded the brunette.

Her response made Itachi glance over at her spotting her clan's signature markings plastered on her cheeks. They were red and fashioned like the fang's of a wild beast. He often wondered whether they were either tattooed on or painted. Since they were supposed to be received at birth he presumed the latter was accurate and that a more permanent symbol was applied later.

Caught in his mental ramblings he missed the series of names he called out finally chiming in when he said, "Namikaze Norio?"

The family name immediately caused an image of the Yondaime to flash in Itachi's mind (no pun intended), but the given name rung no bells. He, along with a few others and their sensei, moved their heads around when no reply came. Itachi was unaware that the Fourth and his wife had a son although he could vaguely remember his mother mentioning a "Norio" often when she spoke of the former kage's wife, Kushina, who was a good friend of his mother.

He managed to spy a slight frown pull down the Inuzuka girl's face and Itachi briefly wondered if "Norio" was an unpleasant person. He expected to find a head of blonde hair somewhere in the class and he did, but it was not the proper shade nor did it belong to the proper gender unless "Norio" was a girl and his parent's had a wicked sense of humour giving their child a name that meant "**man** of principles".

After a few seconds everyone gave up on locating the missing blonde with the chunin muttering something about "grieving". He placed the clipboard on his desk and leaned forward supporting himself on his fingertips.

"Okay, first I'd like to welcome you all to the Ninja Academy. I will be your sensei Fueno Deikaku, but you can just call me sensei. I hope to give you all the basic skill you'll need to become splendid ninja one day."

He flashed them all a genuine smile but received mostly silence in return. He coughed at how tranquil the class was as he had expected the six year old class to be a rambunctious lot. He supposed however that he should be grateful that no one was bouncing off the walls or bombarding him with a myriad of questions that had nothing to do with being a ninja.

Though he had to admit that this might make the class a little...boring. After all he was a teacher and if no one asked any questions or asked for help he would be left with only with reciting textbook information over and over again. Hopefully, it was just first day jitters and everyone would become more accustomed as they spent more time in class.

He gave the class a clean sweep to try and match faces with names. He instantly recognized Itachi as Fugaku's son. Seeing the clan leader's offspring made him wonder how well versed he would be in the ninja art. If he was anything like his father then he would be an accomplished student early on. Turning his head he spotted the child of Tsume and his face faltered a little.

Not at the girl obviously, she had done nothing wrong, he was just hoping her temper didn't match her mother's. This was for the safety of the student's and his own mental health. He was in the same age group with the aforementioned Inuzuka and though he had only witnessed her wrath second hand when they were both student's in the academy he still was wary of it. However, Hana seemed to possess a kind disposition and her features were notably less feral than her mother.

He continued to scan the classroom, blinking and turning, yet he could not identify any other children of prominent clans. The only other person who might fill that role wasn't present today. The poor boy was most likely bawling his eyes out over his parent's and didn't have the strength to come to school today. He couldn't exactly blame him, being so young and without parents was rough, but eventually he would have to come to class.

Although thinking about it now made it seem possible that Norio didn't want to become a ninja after all he's been through. He had even heard some rumours that the Fourth's son was handicapped. If such a thing was true he found it hard to imagine continuing as a shinobi. Though he wasn't one to really believe in gossip and here-say.

He looked down at the checklist of names zeroing in on the name beside the empty square. The surname "Namikaze" listed in bold letters. In that instant any thoughts about Norio forfeiting his life as a ninja went out the window. After all with two parent's as determined and stubborn as the Yellow Flash and Kushina Uzumaki he seriously couldn't visualize their son just "giving up" on anything.

This begged the question though of where Norio actually was at the moment.

**xxx**

Jiraiya observed with his hand resting lightly on is cheek and his elbow held in his other palm. He was evaluating Norio as he constructed the pure chakra orb. He had told him to perform the first step, then the second, and to **attempt **the third. This resulted in an incomplete variation with a darker blue tint and a spinning helix in it's center.

See this he asked Norio to go through each step again, but much slower. His reasoning being that perhaps Norio was rushing and therefore failed to utilize the most crucial step of combining rotation and density. Unfortunately, this reasoning was proven flawed when, after several attempts, the Rasengan still remained unfinished. He rubbed his chin in speculation while Norio held the spiraling ball.

He stared at his protege's legacy, bot his son and the jutsu, trying to decipher it's secrets. It had taken Minato three years to create and while Jiraiya was able to do it in slightly less time, two year and three months actually, it was still an arduous journey. Maybe what all Norio needed was time and he would eventually master the technique on his own. But then, even if he did "complete" the Rasengan he wouldn't have actually mastered it because the baseball sized ball with a sky blue hue wasn't actually the finished product that Minato was going for.

No, he had never had a chance to add his own chakra element to his original technique before his untimely death. An obstacle that Jiraiya himself had yet to conquer himself.

"Okay, that's enough. You can take a break." he said

The jutsu dispelled and Norio gave Jiraiya a hopeful look, "Did you...see anything?"

Jiraiya gazed into his wide eyes and felt a little bad at having to crush his hopes. While scratching the side of his neck he said, "Well-uh not really."

A dejected frown appeared before Norio bowed his head burying his chin in his chest. He obviously had been expecting more. Feeling responsible Jiraiya exposed his palms and smiled.

"Relax, Norio, you'll figure it out. It took your dad three years and he's the one who made it."

Norio pinched the cloth of his pants while his lip quivered. He looked up at Jiraiya as his mind misinterpreted the statement.

"Are you saying I'll learn it when I'm nine?"

Jiraiya lightly smacked his forehead at his choice of words. Of course mentioning Minato would instigate comparisons at least when it came to Norio anyway. The boy was too presumptuous for his own good sometimes.

"No," he said waving his hands, "what I mean is everyone learns at their own pace. To each his own, you know?"

Norio stared up at him with big eye before creasing his forehead showing that he indeed did not know. Thinking of something to quickly change the subject Jiraiya remarked, "Speaking of age, isn't your birthday coming up?"

In typical six year old fashion Norio was cheered up by the reference of something that could bring him gifts and sweets. While he could be presumptuous at times he could be equally as predictable.

"Yep, November 23."

He relayed his birth date holding up the number "3". He reflexively tried to hold up the "2" on his right hand, but a lack of nerve cells prevented that forcing him to hold up the numerals on his left hand.

Jiraiya nodded.

"Well, how about an early birthday present?"

Norio sucked in a large amount of air as he gasped. His parent's had never given him an early birthday present. His mother would always wait until the day of the celebration while his father would invariably bestow his own present at a later date.

It was a routine he had long ago accepted as his mother explained that his father was a busy man and would miss some of his birthdays. Though when she said "some" he didn't know that some meant "all". He had only had six and didn't even remember the first three, but it still hurt for the one he could recall.

He forced himself form delving deeper as he knew where that train of thought led and didn't feel like crying again.

"Norio?" Jiraiya called.

His voice brought him back to the present causing him to blink twice. Jiraiya gave him a once over his curiosity conspicuous in his gaze.

"You space out a lot, don't you?"

Norio offered only a sheepish smile as confirmation.

"Alright, let's go find that gift."

**xxx**

Mikoto strolled down the trail with three rice balls wrapped in a handkerchief leading toward the Namikaze home. She had walked this very same path countless times before with Kushina after they had spent the day together. They would laugh and joke about a myriad of things finding almost any topic a gold mine of conversation.

Kushina was always the more talkative of the two though, able to seamlessly shift from one thing to the next, from their home life to comparing and contrasting their husband's "performances". Her cheeks reddened at the last thought as she giggled at how in-depth they could get when they headed into that territory.

Still, no matter who or what they talked about they always seemed to fall on a more innocent topic. Itachi and Norio.

Those two incurred the most lengthy and engaging talks. They had met before when they were both very young, but it was probably too early for their minds to craft a memory around that meeting. The two became too busy with other matters to set up a play date between their son's so when Mikoto gave birth to Sasuke and Kushina became pregnant not long after they made a pact that Naruto and Sasuke would be friends along with Norio and Itachi and they would all be one happy family.

If only they could include their husbands.

When speaking of their spouses they would often find how different they were. Minato was openly affectionate and loving towards Kushina and while Fugaku did indeed love Mikoto it was shown in a far more subtle and indirect fashion. Kushina had teased her stating that Fugaku was a "doer" emphasizing the "do" as in "doing Mikoto".

Their husbands often provided a dichotomy to their own relationship. While the two had never shown an apparent dislike for one another as Fugaku was quite respectful, even if it was only because Minato was hokage, and Minato returned the courtesy to the clan leader. Though outside of meetings, they didn't speak much and according to each wife's account neither mentioned the other unless in passing.

So caught up in her thoughts was she that she almost didn't notice the home of her late friend come into view. Looking at the home and surrounding wall hit Mikoto with a wave of nostalgia. She remembered the cute pond in the backyard and the stout oak tree standing in the centre.

As she recalled this, she registered something that seemed out of place, a head of upright silver hair. It belonged to a boy who, besides the hair colour, was too old to be Norio. He was dressed in civilian clothing, but she could tell he was a ninja by the way he carried himself.

"Excuse me." she called.

He either ignored her or didn't hear as he continued to stare at the house. Mikoto closed the distance between them and tried again.

"Excuse me, did you know the family that lived here?"

This time she saw his head move and he turned around to face her so slowly that it had to be deliberate. Now that she saw his face she noticed that he was wearing a Leaf head band which was pulled down over his right eye along with a mask covering the bottom of his face. The visible eye had been pulled up in surprise as she approached before adopting a half closed position.

"Oh, hello, I hadn't noticed you there." he said politely.

Mikoto felt a vague sense of familiarity with the boy as if she'd seen him in passing. He looked to be about 16 and of course was a ninja but she could not place a name with the face. A slight nod of his head and eye blink told Mikoto that she was staring.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I just thought I knew you from somewhere."

The cyclop's mask shifted, hinting at some facial movement, before his single eye closed showing that he was smiling.

"I guess I have that kind of face." he said extending his hand, "My name is Hatake Kaksahi."

As she took his hand into her own her mind was stuck on the surname "Hatake". It sounded so important yet for the life of her she could not figure out why.

"I'm Uchiha Mikoto, I'm here to leave Norio some lunch."

She held up the rice balls as she flashed a smile. Kakashi nodded in understanding then turned to face the home of Norio. Mikoto saw his eyelid fall even lower and a barely audible sigh escape from his mouth.

She found herself looking at Kushina's home as well. They were both silent as memories of the past flooded their minds.

"How did you know them?"

Kakashi glanced at her and put his hands in his pockets.

"Norio's father was my sensei. This was the last place I saw he and Kushina alive."

Mikoto watched as Kakashi's shoulders took a dip. She now felt insensitive for drudging up such negative memories for him. Placing a finger to her mouth she apologized a second time. Kakashi straightened and let out an odd laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. How did you know them?"

Mikoto smiled at her connection to the family.

"Kushina was my best friend."

"I see." he answered.

He could definitely relate to losing a best friend. Though had differing relationships with the deceased the pain hurt all the same.

"I can...give that to Norio if you'd like? I mean I'm sure he's at the academy now, but he'll be home soon."

Mikoto was a bit startled by Kakashi's voice. She had been so immersed in her memories that she had forgotten that he was in her company. Her fingers gripped the cloth tighter in her hands.

"Thank you, but I want to give it to him myself. "

Kakashi respected her decision and offered a terse nod. She probably wanted to check and see how Norio was doing. After giving his sensei's home one last look he turned to leave.

"Goodbye, I have an old woman to assist."

Finding his comment strange she turned to question him, but found that he had left already. Having been a former jounin she found it a bit unnerving that a sixteen year old could disappear without her noticing. Sure he was a ninja, but she hadn't been retired that long. Had she?

Putting it out of her mind she returned to gazing at the Hokage's residence.

**xxx**

Tsunade sat with her legs and arms tightly crossed in the arm less chair that was so graciously provided for her. Unfortunately, the courtesy was not extended to her two associates, leaving Tonton standing to her left and Shizune on the opposite side, her body in an erect line and her hands covering one another acting as a barrier between her and the one in front of them.

The metal case that once held the stacks of bills was opened on a finely furnished desk hiding the face of a professionally dressed man. He had two similarly dressed men in penguin suits on either side of him. The shadowy shade they wore served no other purpose than to intimidate as the room was not terribly bright.

Actually it was bit too dark for Tsunade's taste. As rich as the man was he was too cheap to turn on a few more lights. Though it could just be a ploy to unnerve her by casting a veil of mystery (the dark) and power (the stoic guards). The owner of this "establishment" wanted to appear larger than he actually was. Tsunade called bull on his attempt seeing it as nothing more than overcompensation.

Just looking at him in his tailor made suit, flashing his 24-karat gold watch as he steepled with his elbows on his desk.

"Tsunade, what is this?" he asked in a husky voice.

She lowered her brow at him, not appreciating his tone.

"An empty case. What do you think?"

One of the guards gave his partner a slow look with a meaning known only to them. The boss was unfazed by Tsunade's aggressive tongue only continuing to stare at her.

"Not just an 'empty case', but **my **empty case, empty because you lost a bet you said you could win. Again."

Tsunade scoffed as she turned her head away from him. Her blatant show of disrespect made him clench his jaw for a split second before he closed his eyes to centre himself.

"Please, the dice were loaded. Maki's as crooked as they come." she argued

He didn't seem to like that reply as he sat back into his cushion-like chair, which had arms, and brought his hand up to his face, supporting his chin with his thumb while his index finger ran straight up his cheek.

He thought she was lying.

"Look, I can win it all back. Just one more loan-" she said leaning forward, palms visible

A flash of anger made his brow point downwards showing his displeasure as he brought his hands together into bent fingers. Daku was known as a patient man, you never got anywhere in this business being otherwise. You had to bide your time, plan a strategize until the time came for you to make your move. Unfortunately, his patience did not extend to those who owed him money.

He could overlook a minor late payment, but this was not a minor. Tsunade had come to him with promises of doubling and even tripling an investment in gambling. Normally he would have instantly refused, as gambling in someone else's territory was much more risky than doing so under his own where he could control the odds. However the cost she asked for wasn't all that steep and could be easily replaced, from her pocket or course.

He now regretted that. Tsunade proved to be the worst gambler he had ever dealt with or perhaps in history. She repeatedly lost game after game and always returned with the same promise. He indulged her under the hopes that she would eventually win out, but that never came. He realized too late that he had taken a bad gamble himself by betting on the woman to suddenly improve her on her losing streak.

Now he was ready to pull out.

"No. More. Loans." he told her sternly.

Tsunade's lips balled as she leaned back in her chair. Shizune fidgeted to her side as her head bowed. Daku stood up from his comfortable chair at his impressive height of six feet. He leaned forward and arched his fingers on the desk as support. a shadow darkened over his face making his appearance even more domineering.

Tsunade remained resolute under his intimidating gaze which only made her more of a problem in his eyes. A leader could not seem to be lacking in authority in front of his subordinates as that would foster ideas of betrayal. However an overt show of emotion at this juncture would reveal his frustration with the blond achieving the same effect. So he would need to remain calm and end this discussion on his own terms before he did something he might regret.

"No more loans, Tsunade. Pay me my money and we'll conclude our business together."

The Slug Sannin narrowed her eyes at the man. She disliked being told what to do especially by someone she could trounce at any time she pleased. Which begged the question of "why?" she hadn't done so.

Those guards would last a second against her and Daku would be even less of a throat. All she had to do was display a little of her monstrous strength and all her debts would mysteriously disappear.

Unfortunately, she had a little something called a conscience. She had come to Daku in search of funds after losing nearly all of her own cash in fixed gambling dens so to strike out against someone who only wanted payment for a favor was not something she could do.

Well, she could do it, but she would feel like crap later.

"Fine." she relented begrudgingly.

She stood up from her seat in a huff and glared at Daku. They both eyed one another for a tense few minutes until Tsunade finally broke the deadlock and stormed out the door.

"Shizune, Tonton, let's go."

Her two companions scurried behind her, all too eager to leave the tension behind. As his door closed softly, thanks to the teenage assistant of Tsunade, he drew back into his seat and sighed while rubbing his temples.

"I need a drink." he said to no one in particular.

Instantly, one of his employees disconnected from the wall and walked off to retrieve the alcoholic beverage. As he left Daku pressed an inconspicuous button on his desk. A mechanical sound was heard as the shudders rose to his left.

Bright light pierced the darkness of his office revealing the expensive items he had purchased over the years, but also bringing the noise with it.

The shudders were sound proof to allow for uninterrupted meetings on the second floor. Large windows now allowed him to look down at his work, a truly marvellous casino he had built from the ground up. What was once a simple gambling den had now been transformed into a colossal business.

Slot machines ran in neat rows down the middle of the floor, rolling roulette's were the main attractions off to the side, while black jack and poker added even more variety to the games on the show floor.

This made it even more spectacular as this was only the first floor. He had bars, rooms, and even risqué entertainment for the more sensual customers. He had single handily changed the business with his Lucky 7 casino. All other major rivals had been stamped out long ago by his progress with only small, independent den leaders providing competition albeit barely.

Everyone else either worked for him or didn't survive long enough to compete. There were a few exceptions, however, like this Maki character. He had started out small enough as Daku allowed his presence, but he steadily grew in status. He was nowhere near Daku's level of influence however but he noticed a subtle almost nonexistent change in the number of customer's coming to the casino.

It was not something many businessmen would pay attention to, but then he wasn't many businessmen. Even if one or two people decided to visit Maki's den instead of his casino it still was a problem.

They still come to the Lucky 7 in droves, but how long would that last until people started talking?

Soon friends would tell friends about the Maki's better odds or whatever he was doing to draw them in. It would spread and then, like wildfire, more and more would leave his casino until eventually everyone left. He knew it was a bit paranoid to think this way, but it made him aware of possible dangers to his business.

In time he would deal with it, but he had another problem at the moment, a decidedly blonde one.

**xxx**

Norio stayed close to Jiraiya as instructed, partly because he was respectful and partly because he didn't like this place. It was loud and the atmosphere made his nostrils flare as his nose picked up the scent of the cancerous smoke. The people seemed unfriendly, at least to Norio, as they constantly yelled or banged those strange machines and then stomped out shouting bad words into the air.

He felt dirty and wrong for just being in a place like this, but Jiraiya seemed perfectly at ease. He had been walking along the aisles as if he was scanning for something. He would stop and stare at an individual and if they let out a sign of glee or any other sign of happiness he would move one without a word. It wasn't until he came to a particularly miserable looking man who seemed to be about ready to burst into tears did he come to a dead halt causing the distracted Norio to run into his leg.

Norio was too young to understand what sadism was, but if he knew the meaning he would associate it to smile that spread across Jiraiya's face as the man sat hunched over in front of the machine.

He held a single gold coin in his hand and looked at it like all his hopes and dreams were contained in it. Unbeknown to anyone else, it actually was. He inserted the coin and placed a trembling hand over the lever, but seemed to find something wrong with it as he placed it atop the button instead.

The man took a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he mouthed soundless words. Then he opened them and pressed the button hard. Immediately, his hands clapped together making him appear like a monk as the machine made arcade like noises and the sound of something spinning caught Norio's attention.

The man continued to mouthed something under his breath as the machine did it's work. Norio caught a faint, "Please", but had no idea what the man could want so badly.

Suddenly the spinning noise ceased and the machine let out a cry that made the man's head shoot up like a cobra. His tired eyes widened like saucers as he stared at the machine in disbelief. Without warning he grabbed the sides of the machine and began shaking it viciously.

"No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening, it can't be!" he cried hysterically.

Norio stepped closer to Jiraiya not understanding what was causing the man to act so crazy. His eyes were watering and his face had turned the shade of a tomato as he continued to rock the machine violently. The smile on Jiraiya's face had been replaced by a sombre expression.

He continued to yell and curse at the machine even banging on it until two large and dangerous looking men dressed in suits materialized out of nowhere.

"Sir, you're disturbing the other customers. I'm going to have to ask you to stop." one of them said evenly

The man looked at him with bloodshot eyes and looked ready to bite out his throat.

"Screw the customers! I'm one of the customers and I want my money back!" he roared.

The guard's eyebrow peeked from above the shades he was wearing before he relaxed and said, "Is there a problem, sir?"

The man bit his bottom lips and turned in his spinning chair to face the much larger man.

"Problem! A problem!" he spat, "I just lost my entire life's savings, because your freaking machine cheated!"

The guard stood there for a moment before he spread his legs apart and placed his arms behind his back and raised his chin.

"I assure you, sir, our machines are top of the line. There are no malfunctions or faults whatsoever."

The man didn't seem to hear him or just didn't want to as he shook his head from side to side. He ran his hand roughly through his thinning head of hair as his face sweat profusely. He looked ready to burst in Norio's opinion.

"Look, just give me my money back, okay! That's all I want...just please." he pleaded.

The guard remained passive however and only stared at the little man. His jaw remained locked throughout the entire man's plea and after until he finally said.

"I'm sorry sir, but we do not provide refunds."

At this the man snapped. He jumped from his chair and swung a telegraphed fist. The guard ducked under it easily and in an instant was behind the man and had placed him in a full nelson.

"I'm really sorry it had to come to this, sir, but you forced my hand." the guard told him squarely

The man struggled like a wild animal, kicking and screaming loudly as his body jerked about like a ragdoll as he tried to escape. Unfortunately, the sentry's grip was tight and restricted his movement heavily. It wasn't long before the thin man tired out and was huffing.

The enigmatic guard did a discreet head nod towards the front of the building and two other men in black and white suits came and grabbed the man on either arm. The man, who Norio supposed was the leader, straightened his tie and walked in front of the gasping man.

His eyes were hidden behind shades but Norio felt he was eyeing the man at that moment.

"Please help our guest to the front door and ensure he does not come back...ever." he told the other two.

They nodded and proceeded to drag their new friend through the mob of people. When they had disappeared the man turned to leave before he spotted Norio halfway exposed from behind Jiraiya's leg.

They held eye contact for less than three seconds before the man decided he had better things to do and walked away.

Jiraiya watched the man's expansive back as he left and Norio walked from behind his limb.

"This looks like a good place." he said walking up to the now vacant machine.

He unexpectedly picked Norio up and placed him on the spinning stool, "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

Norio observed the contraption listing the seemingly meaningless parts. There was a big red button above a small slit, which Norio assumed was for inserting coins. Facing him were three reels with various symbols that held no significance to him. He already was familiar with the red button and the lever so he saw nothing else worth of note besides the intricate designs and flashing bulbs on the horizontal surface of the machine.

"Something bad?" he answered

Jiraiya chuckled at his surprisingly accurate response and tapped it on the side.

"This is a Pachislo*. You put money in here," he pointed towards the slit, "and then you can press the button or pull the lever and the pictures will move. If you get the same picture in all three slots then you win more money."

Norio looked at Jiraiya in minor confusion. He supposed he grasped the basic concept of the game, but that didn't explain why almost everyone who used the machine left angry and fussing.

"But, that man was crying. Why was he crying if you win more money?" he asked innocently

Jiraiya held up a single finger and leaned against the machine.

"That's the game, Norio. You see you won't always win when you play, but you keep playing because when you do win you get a big reward. Unfortunately, our friend never had the opportunity or enough money to win and that's why he lost."

Norio frowned at the machine. He didn't like anything that made people feel bad even if it wasn't all the time. To him it seemed like big waste of time to play a game where you lost almost all the time as the case seemed to be with this particular game.

"Do you want to play?" Jiraiya asked.

Norio expected himself to answer in the negative having found a new dislike for the machine. It seemed to lure people in with its bright lights and the exotic sounds it made when you activated it only to send them away with a much worse attitude then when they came.

However he found himself drawn to it somehow like there was some magnetic pull he couldn't explain. In truth it didn't look all that harmless and what harm could come from one single game?

"Okay." he said.

Jiraiya searched his pocket and fished out a single gold coin almost identical to the one the man had. Norio hoped that was the only thing they had in common as he hated to lose.

He slipped the coin inside and decided to press the button as the lever was on his right side. He slammed his hand down and the machine sprung to life as it's symbols became a blur.

"Now, Norio, you shouldn't expect to win on your first try or even your second. This game takes time and patience to win at so don't be disappointed-"

"WINNER!" cried the metallic voice of the machine.

A bevy of gold coins began pouring out of the machine into a tray. Jiraiya looked in disbelief at the result and Norio smiled happily.

"Look, Jiraiya, I won!" Norio alerted him.

The wise man found himself at a loss of words and scratched the back of his head in confusion. The odds of winning on one's first try were next to nil and yet Norio had lucked up and pulled it off.

"Well...would you look at that. Do you want to try again?"

Norio nodded his head happily and took a coin from the tray. He slipped it inside the slit and pressed the button again. Jiraiya noted he was smiling now and felt bad that it would soon turn into a frown as the machine inevitably informed him of his loss.

"WINNER!" it rang again.

Jiraiya just about face faulted at the cry. There was no way that someone could win twice in a row at the slots when it was a miracle to win once. Obviously, Norio had just experienced some extremely good stroke of luck and it would pass soon, but it still was quite amazing. It would be best to stop him before he got too excited and became like another Tsunade.

"Alright, I think that's enough." he warned.

Norio didn't turn to face him as he continued to smile widely. He took another coin from the tray and inserted it.

"But I like this game!" he exclaimed.

He pressed the big red button and the slots began to spin.

**xxx**

Tsunade marched angrily through the crowd of people as she headed for the exit. Any males wishing to try their luck with the beautiful kunoichi were instantly put off by the furious scowl she wore. Anyone unfortunate to get in her way was shoved aside in an unapologetic fashion forcing Shizune to ask for forgiveness from many strangers.

Shizune walked up beside her mistress just as she about threw someone to the side. She leaned in close to ensure she could hear her, but was aware of her fists lest she catch a blow that could possibly kill her.

"Lady Tsunade, don't you think you should calm down a little? After all it was you who went to Daku for a loan." she reminded.

Tsunade flashed her a glare that would have made anyone else rescind their last statement but they had known each other long enough where they were immune to one another's death glare at least she hoped so.

"Yeah, but he didn't have to be an ass about it. 'Give me my money and we can conclude our business together'." She mocked as she pushed someone else aside.

Tonton let out a distressed oink.

"I know, Tonton." Shizune agreed.

She didn't feel Daku was overtly rude or in agreeable, in fact, Shizune felt he had been quite polite, as polite as a cutthroat gangster could possibly be, but polite nonetheless.

Tsunade seemed to have forgotten that she was talking to Shizune because she had proceeded into a rant as she vented her repressed anger. People seemed to have wised up to the rampaging blonde and had taken to simply to moving out of her way effectively clearing a path for her.

"I mean all I have to do is beat that Maki at his own game. I know sooner or later I'll hit the jackpot and everyone will realized that I'm a-"

"WINNER!" said an artificial voice.

She had rarely had the pleasure of that particular word brushing against her eardrums whenever she played here at the Lucky 7 but she knew it when she heard it. It came from one of the many slot machines she had long ago decided were rigged.

Looking around she saw that more than a few heads were turned towards one direction meaning someone was garnering a lot of attention. The congratulatory tone of the machine rang in the air as the word "WINNER" was said once more. Tsunade pinpointed where it was coming from, but couldn't get a good look at the one causing the commotion because they were surrounded by a crowd of spectators.

Her open mouth closed tightly as her brow creased.

"Lady...Tsunade?" inquired Shizune.

The medic nin stomped away from the pig and teenager as she moved closer to the crowd. Who in the hell did this person think they were, winning like it was nothing when she was scrapping for money? She had spent hours maybe even days at these freaking slot machines practically badgering them to hear the melodic sound they were now so graciously handing out to some unknown.

"WINNER!" the voice repeated again.

She felt her blood boil as she inched closer. Who was this guy and what was his secret? How could he just win so easily when someone with her level of skill in gambling cited bad luck if she ever happened to do the same? It had to be trick. Someone was manipulating or tampering in some way with the odds of the casino.

She might have found it funny that someone was bending the rules of the casino right under Daku's nose if she wasn't in such a royally pissed off mood. She all but bashed through the crowd of people to get to the centre. The word "winner" had sounded off again and by now she was playing with the idea of bashing the machine in once she got there.

Moving past one last pedestrian she extended her hand onto the shoulder of the surprisingly small gambler. She pulled him around by his shoulder and looked into his blue eyes.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" is what she wanted to say, but found herself at a loss for words when she found out who was responsible for all the winning.

It was a small boy, no more than six, with spiky black hair and a sling around his bandaged right arm. His face was married with shock at having been spun around by an angry blonde woman he had never seen before. Tsunade wished she could say the same, but he seemed vaguely familiar somehow.

"Tsunade?" said a voice she hadn't expected to hear for at least another decade or so.

She turned her head to see her old teammate with those crazy red lines running down his cheeks and that characteristic mole. Her mind was already remembering the idiotic proclamations he made about being a "sage" and a "super-ninja" as well as how proud of his perversion he was. Strangely, or not so strangely, the nostalgia that came over her was not welcomed.

The two Sannin stood in silence, neither apparently knowing how best to carry forward with the conversation. Shizune stood off to the side moving her head from the blonde to the white haired man of 30. She knew Jiraiya from her short time in the village and from the things Tsunade often said of him though they were never good things. She didn't know the boy and wondered if he was related to Jiraiya until she noted the hair colour, eye colour, and facial structure.

She wanted to break the icy tension that had mounted which even the vast crowd could sense with all of them falling into quiet anticipation. Not even the tiniest oink escaped from Tonton as she nestled up beside Shizune's leg for protection.

Then the stillness was shattered by a joyful wail accompanied by game noises one would expect from a child's party.

"WINNER!" the game machine informed.

Everyone's head snapped to the slot machine as a river of gold washed out from inside the machine nearly overflowing Norio with his reward. He held his breath in his throat as his eyes rolled over to Tsunade.

She was giving him an unreadable expression which served to unnerve him further. She had a feeling that she was not going to like this little boy.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry about the long update but I've been distracted by...life. I hope I still have at least some of the people who cared enough to read this story's first chapter and will ensure future updates are not as protracted. I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for anyone as I felt that way about certain scenes, but then I have negative feelings about most of my writings until I actually put it out there. Call it paranoia.<p>

Oh yeah Author Notes:

Paschislos: Obviously japanese slot machines. The word is a portmanteau of pachinko and slot machine. This stems from the fact that japanese slot machines are descendants of the traditional Japanese pachinko game. (You can thank wikipedia for that information)

Onigiri: I think I explained this in the story, but this is a rice ball. You know those Japanese treats formed with white rice shaped into either a triangular or circular shape. They can be wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with many sour, salty, or sweet ingredients. (Thank you again Wikipedia). I chose seaweed because onigiri with seaweed is Itachi's favorite food (Thank you Narutopedia. Aren't wiki's great?)

Kamo: Means "sucker" which is ironic because Tsunade is using it to describe an inept gambler which is exactly what she is herself.


	7. Blame it on the Alcohol

**Blame it on the Alcohol**

* * *

><p>Chieko strolled down the pebbled street of Konoha. The moon hung directly overhead casting a mystic glow on the village below. Many villagers had been left homeless andor in dire financial straits. She could see those who belonged to the latter group sprawled out in the dark alleys of the village wearing tattered rags for clothing. They huddled together to provide some measure of warmth from the particularly nippy night.

She herself felt a shiver come over her as she rounded a corner. Luckily she was fortunate enough to have enough money to purchase a coat to wear, but she wondered how long she would be able to make such purchases. She was now among the many who had now lost their jobs due to the Nine Tailed attack.

In actuality however she hadn't lost it **because **of the assault, but the fox nonetheless had a major hand in it no matter how much it tried to play innocent. She looked down at her hands that held a moderately sized basket with a blue blanket covering the top. Every so often the sheet would move as if it had a mind of it's own.

She wanted badly to just drop the basket, or more accurately throw it, and go home, but she knew she couldn't. It made her sick to think she had been selected for such an assignment when she should be focusing on how she was going to pay her rent. Never mind the fact that she had been coerced into this position by the very person who also played a part in her premature resignation from the hospital.

Still, she kept walking down the dark and lonely street. Trying her best to ignore the beggars that approached her infrequently to ask for what little money she had on her at the moment. Had this been another time and she was not carrying a monster with her she would have gladly stopped and showed at least some altruism. With every person she turned down she felt her self-opinion take a dramatic dip.

It also served to make her all the more angry at the beast responsible for these people's suffering. Her fingers squeezed the woven handle of the basket and she suppressed the urge to just drive her foot down into it. Regaining her composure she stared ahead and just focused on what was in front of her.

Most of the shops were closed for the night and the ones that hadn't, their owners were in the process of doing so. Her soft soled feet hit the ground, parting the rocks and scratching the pavement. The rhythmic sound of walking was her only companion in the night as she would never consider the "thing" in the basket as company especially not the pleasurable kind.

She just had to keep walking forward to...to...she stopped in place and blinked several times. She didn't even know where she was going. She had been told to just walk around the village in a certain perimeter, but had never been given any destination. The cool air blew making her purple hair fly in her face.

She took a hand from the basket to knock the bangs from her eyes just as another gust of wind picked up. Whether it was the howling wind or the simple act of her preening, a screeching wail soon came from within the basket.

She rolled her eyes at "it" and placed the basket on the ground a little bit more roughly than she would her groceries. Pulling back the aqua sheet she was greeted with a furrowed face with blonde hair and strange whisker-like marks.

She could not figure out why the brat even had those things. She had never heard of anyone being born with such a birth mark and she was a nurse, but then she remembered that the baby wasn't actually a baby at all. It was probably some flaw in the monster's disguise that it had overlooked when it transformed. This apparent (to her) proof that the demon was masquerading as a child made her blood boil at its arrogance.

It actually thought no one would pay attention and notice its slip-up. With its pudgy stomach, wide cheeks, and short limbs it almost looked harmless which made her contempt for it grow even more.

How could it just lay there feigning innocence while everyone else was wallowing in a gutter? She wanted to throw up and maybe on it.

As it screamed in the basket her face adopted a similar expression offering no sympathy for the fox. Chieko covered the package back with the blanket ignoring the infantile sounds. She started again with a brisk pace when she felt something come over her.

Call it natural instincts of woman's intuition, but something caused her to freeze in place. The hairs on her neck stood on end and her skin formed a thin layer of goose skin. She wanted to turn around, but her anxiety convinced her that it would be better to keep moving.

So she began again, this time with longer strides. Her movements were stiff and mechanical as she came to a corner. It wasn't until she turned it and pressed against the wall that she realized that she had been breathing aloud. Her heart was thumping in her ears and the wind made her aware of the light sweat on her face.

Common sense told her to make a run for it, but anxiety kept her legs heavy. Her body was petrified when she heard the rocks rustle under the weight of footsteps. They were slow almost like the person had all night to waste.

'_Maybe they did?"' _she thought.

Perhaps they were not tailing her and were simply making their way home after a long day at work? After all it was the middle of the week and those who still retained a job were probably working double maybe triple shifts to make up for damages their property most likely sustained. Yes, that was it, someone was just heading home to take a nice long dip in their tub.

Her nerves calmed as rationality returned to her. Moving from the wall she let out a sigh of relief at her stupidity. Perhaps she could get a laugh out this if she explained to the person who had been behind her. It might even be a cute guy who would find her charming and offer to take her home for the night and pay her bills.

She inwardly laughed at the chances of that happening, but hey a girl could dream right? She looked around the corner to find no one on the other side. Her forgotten fears pounced on her with full force at the phantom footsteps.

She took a reflexive step backwards still staring at the spot she thought a person would be standing. Continuing with her backwards pace she collided into a solid obstruction.

Her heart skipped a beat and she jumped into the air. She turned stiffly to face him or at least she thought it was a he. Their body was hidden by a cloak and hood with their face obscured behind a mask.

She recognized the mask, a cat with round empty eyes that she assumed served openings for him to see through, from before, but she wasn't sure if it was the same person. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, but she dared not move her hand to wipe it away.  
>She didn't want to do anything that might provoke him into attacking her.<p>

The fact that he was just standing there made her even more nervous though. The only movement they made was a slight tilt of the head. It took a minute for Chieko to see that they were staring at the basket.

"The basket. Give it to me." he commanded in a dangerously calm voice.

She was definite that it was a man now. His voice was too deep and authoritative to be the opposite sex. This didn't make her feel any less frightened however as now the possibility of being raped became apparent to her.

"The basket." he said again with the same tone.

He might as well have yelled because Chieko yelped at his order. She brought the basket close to her and wrapped her arms around it. Not because she was feeling protective of the creature inside, but she wanted a barrier between him and her if he decided to rush in.

"I can't." she said convincingly.

She was telling the truth. If she lost the boy now after being specifically told to deliver him, then the deal would most certainly be off and she couldn't afford for that to happen. So, despite her better judgment and to her eternal loathing she refused the demand.

For a moment nothing happened. Her stalker just stood there motionless. Her chest was tight as she breathed even more so with how tightly she was clutching the basket. Her eyes began to water and she realized that she had not blinked for a time. She gathered whatever courage she had left and obeyed her body's natural process.

When her eyes reopened she wished she had kept them closed as the masked man was standing over her. He was much taller up close and was peering down at her in a way that made her blood freeze. The dark wells of the mask seemed to pull her in so utterly that she did not notice the kunai he had produced. Her senses only picked up the blade when he reared it back and prepared to drive it into her body, but by then it was too late.

Time seemed to slow as the knife came closer and closer to ending her life. She thought about all the decisions she made and what could have been done to prevent this fatal encounter from occurring. No matter how hard she thought, however, she always found that this part, or rather end, of her life was brought upon by one thing; the Nine Tailed Fox.

As the kunai blade pressed against her skin she still cursed the demon and hoped he suffered a fate 1000 times worse when his time came. She closed her eyes and waited for the permanent darkness to overtake her.

It never came. She heard a grunt from the man and she snapped her eyes open. She found him on his back a few feet away from her with his arm pulled above his head and suspended above the ground. A glare from the moonlight revealed that a wire, attached inside the loop of a kunai, was tied around his wrist.

She followed the line from its captive up through the air and onto a roof several feet off the ground. Standing there, wire in hand, was the man who had given her the task of escorting the fox through the village. She remembered his name only because it brought the heat of anger to her face every time she recalled it.

"Uchiha Shisui." the man finished for her.

The shinobi had bandages on his cheeks and cheekbones that were commonly used to treat burns, Chieko noticed.

The man didn't take the time to observe the state of Shisui's face as he threw the kunai from his tied hand to his free one and promptly sliced the wire. His new target identified, he jumped to his feet and ran towards the wall of the building Shisui stood on. Chieko didn't understand what he had in mind as he approached the wall and didn't seem to plan on stopping. Shock ran across her face as the man placed his foot on the wall and began to run up it vertically.

She had heard of ninja doing some amazing things, but this still surprised her. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small round object with something scribbled on it in black kanji.

He threw it up towards Shisui who formed his own look of astonishment as he covered his eyes with his arm. The spherical object exploded into a black of light making Chieko cover her eyes to protect her from the flash.

While she was blinded, she heard several sounds of fighting taking place on the roof along with the clang of metal on metal. It wasn't long before she heard something fall before her like a body hitting the ground. Her eyes had readjusted enough where she could make out a human shaped blur rising to their feet.

The person had black hair so she assumed it was Shisui now standing in front of her. Since she wasn't close to the flash her vision and hearing returned rather quickly, but she couldn't say the same for Shisui. His eyes were still closed and slightly watering from the bomb meaning he had not recovered.

It was quite a testament that he was able to defend himself while blinded. Though she didn't feel it would be ideal to continue fighting this way for a long time. The man landed on the ground in front of them and wasted no time in rushing forward to finish them both off.

Chieko certainly didn't like the man, not after the part he played in getting her fired, but she didn't wish death on him. This was doubly true because if he died this very instant there would be no one between her and the assailant. So she opened her mouth to tell him to duck...but nothing came out.

She was so paralyzed by fear that she didn't even realize that she couldn't speak. She watched helplessly as the kunai held by her future murderer cut through the air towards Shisui's throat. Her heart stopped as she envisioned blood spraying into the air followed by a sickening crack of bone. Shisui remained still unaware of his life coming to an end.

All of a sudden the man's hand stopped a hair's breath away from Shisui's forehead. Chieko thought it was the work of Shisui himself, but found that the man's wrist was being held by another. She followed the arm to the torso of the individual and found that they wore the standard emerald flak jacket of the village.

He also wore a dark shirt with the symbol of the white and red fan of the Uchiha clan surrounded by a blue star. An apron with white diamonds on the side proved to her that the man was Fugaku Uchiha the head of both the Uchiha clan and the Konoha Police Force. She had not seen him many times before, but she was pretty certain that his eyes were not red with black commas circling his pupil.

He stood unflinching towards the would-be killer, not even blinking. For a second she thought he was trying to psych the man out before his fore leg extended and impacted the cloaked enigma in the stomach. It was so fast that Chieko only saw him jump back several feet propelled by some invisible force.

"Shisui, you shouldn't have let your guard down." Fugaku stated and Chieko suddenly was reminded of a father reprimanding their son.

"I know. It won't happen again." Shisui answered as his eyes opened slowly to reveal his own Sharingan active.

The two Uchiha stood between Chieko and the masked man. She felt a pressure press down on her chest as she stared at the men. Her palms became sweaty and she had to grab the handle of the basket tighter to not only reaffirm her grip, but as a pacifier to the anxiety. She was dreading the wait, these three ninja just standing there was making her all the more anxious, someone needed to move before she went crazy.

The man must have been a mind reader because he instantly began to weave through elaborate hand signs whose meaning eluded Chieko. This must not have applied to the other two because Fugaku immediately reacted and launched three kunai at his target. The man managed to dodge all three while staying in one spot, weaving his torso safely around the knives as he completed his hand signs.

He held up a weird symbol and extended his arms but before he could do anything else a kunai from earlier reappeared at his side and revolved around him. His arms were tied up by his side by wire as the weapon made several more revolutions.

Shisui took this time to advance on him. He threw a punch that connected squarely with the man's jaw. His head jerked backwards and he fell to the ground. He skidded a few inches, kicking up dark dust along the way and did not rise.

Chieko watched as the scene played out in front of her and thought it was a bit anti climatic. She had thought ninja to be extra tough so it was strange to see one felled by just one simple punch. Apparently Shisui felt the same way and took a few moments to stare at the body. She saw his eyes narrow on the limp form before he moved forward cautiously.

He knelt beside the body and seemed to survey. He never touched it only staring at it intently making Chieko wonder if this was some sort of ninja thing. Fugaku walked up beside his clansmen as he investigated.

"Find anything?"

Shisui glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning to the body. He stood up and began to stroke his chin all detective-like.

"It's strange. That punch wasn't anywhere strong enough to kill him or knock him out yet he's not responding. His chakra is also strange, it's just...stopped." he revealed.

Fugaku's expression didn't change as he reached into his pocket, "Really? How...odd."

Shisui nodded in agreement unaware of his mentor standing over him ominously. With his hand in his pocket Chieko saw his fist clench something tightly. She frowned at the strange contraction, but said nothing.

"Do you have any idea why?" Fugaku asked calmly.

A sigh escaped from Shisui as he said, "Only one."

Chieko was prepared this time. She had regained full control of her vocal cords allowing her to yell out to warn the Uchiha.

"Shisui, look out!"

Shisui spun around just in time to block the kunai from stabbing him in the head. "Fugaku" dropped the knife and caught it in his other hand and sent a horizontal slice across Shisui's chest. The jounin was aware enough to block the slashing motion causing he and the doppelganger to become held in a dead lock.

Shisui held the clan leader's right wrist with his left hand and his left wrist with his right. Their arms were crossed over one another causing them both to make and "X" over the top. Both of their Sharingan's flared as they bore holes in the other's eyes.

The dojutsu's protected them from genjutsu so that was out of the question for Shisui. He decided on a more physical approach. Cocking his head back he drove it forward into the face of Fugaku. He heard a wet crack as his forehead met bone followed by Fugaku stumbling backwards as a thin streak of blood flew from his nose.

Shisui wasn't about to let up and prepared to continue his assault when something unexpected happened. At least he didn't expect it to occur anyway. "Fugaku", knowing he couldn't defend himself properly at the moment, raised the kunai he held to his neck. This action froze Shisui in his tracks.

He had no choice but to watch as the impostor gaze at him with a completely blank expression. The reasonable assumption was to believe that Fugaku had simply turned on him, but he realized that nothing in the ninja world was simple.

He focused his chakra towards his Sharingan and surveyed the suddenly suicidal man's charka network. His chakra, at first glance, was unchanged, but upon closer inspection he spotted a phantom-like chakra signature that had latched on to Fugaku's as an unwanted passenger.

He dared a glance back towards the unresponsive body behind him and began to connect the dots.

"You're a Yamanaka." he stated.

Something that didn't pass as a smile pulled the corner of Fugaku's face up but his eyes remained dead. Whoever was controlling his body must not be familiar with performing a simple smile.

"What gave me away?" he asked in Fugaku's voice.

"You mean besides the fact that you tried to stab me?" he retorted.

The possessed Fugaku remained indifferent to his reply, keeping his emotions buried.

"Yes." he answered as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

Shisui kept his own feelings under control as well, but he found the man's question to be abnormal. It was as if he did not understand sarcasm.

"There's only one clan I know that can accomplish such a thing and the hand signs you weaved beforehand gave you away, but I wasn't sure if you had completed it or not. That's why I intentionally left myself open to goad you into attacking." he looked over Fugaku's shoulder at Chieko, "She helped too."

The nurse felt a speck of pride come over her despite the situation, but that was quickly extinguished.

"I see." he answered tersely.

They stood in silence for what seemed like ages as both ninja contemplated their best course of action. It made Chieko anxious again, even more so because she had seen what could happen once they actually started fighting. Her urge to drop the basket and run was stronger than ever now, but her feet remained rooted to the ground.

"I suppose I have no choice then."

The possessor of Fugaku's body forced Fugaku's arms to drive the kunai forward towards his throat intending on ending the man's life. Chieko let out a scream as she saw what was happening while Shisui held out his hand and yelled, "Stop!"

To both their amazement he did. His eyes remained lifeless even though he was moment's away from committing suicide. Or was it murder?

He studied Shisui's face closely. Strangely, the examination was more akin to a child seeing a something new for the first time as if he was...curious.

"That was...fear. I've always had trouble understanding emotion, but I recognize that one."

The civilian and the ninja stood perplexed at this unorthodox time to start a conversation especially about something as abstract as emotion. Though Chieko could tell that Shisui was just happy to have more time to formulate a plan.

The man looked down for a moment before staring directly into Shisui's eyes.

"Tell me...what does it feel like?"

He pressed the blade closer to his neck and cut into his skin drawing a small trickle of blood. Shisui kept his emotions in check, but she could see his jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth. His palms closed tightly and she watched his face darken. Then, it all disappeared.

It was as if it had never been there at all, puzzling the former receptionist. Shisui closed his eyes momentarily before saying, "Like this."

His eyes snapped open and Chieko saw a design in them she couldn't describe. The swirls mystified her like peering into a kaleidoscope for the first time. It left her with a floating head feeling even more powerful than before.

She was not the only one affected by the drug-like ocular power of Shisui however as Fugaku began to act strangely. He looked as if he had just awoken from a deep sleep before his eyes fell on the blood tipped kunai.

Turning to Shisui she saw him standing over the mask man while he held his left eye. He seemed to be waiting for something until he suddenly kicked the man across the face sending the mask sliding across the ground.

A grunt from Fugaku brought her back to the present and she saw that he was wiping his neck free of blood. Shisui had tied up their "friend" and was walking towards him. His Sharingan was deactivated replaced by his usual dark eyes.

"Are you... okay?" he asked between breaths looking more tired than a short fight would suggest.

Fugaku observed the blood in his palm before closing it, "I'm fine. How did you manage to free me?"

Shisui seemed to try and smile at him, but he was just to tired to complete the expression. He took a minute to collect his breath before he spoke again.

"I had to use the Kotoamatsukami."

Chieko was at a loss for what this technique with the nearly unpronounceable name implied but judging from Fugaku's reaction it must have been something bad. His normally still face showed a glimpse of shock and was devoid of the thankfulness she expected him to experience.

"You should have saved it. You can only use it once every decade, right?"

Shisui looked through the eye that wasn't tingling and said, "A thank you would be nice."

Fugaku said nothing at first before mumbling something that Chieko thought amounted to gratitude. Shisui seemed content and turned towards the body.

He didn't have time to react before he was sent tumbling backwards. Fugaku was quicker and had more response time, but it was unnecessary as the man rose up and just stood there. The hood he wore cast a shadow over his face but one could make out a face weathered by wind and age.

He looked at the clan leader for a split second before turning to the younger Uchiha, who was on one knee. In that moment he communicated something that held meaning only to the two of them.

"I finally understand what fear feels like."

The mysterious man then erupted into a burst of blue flames. Shisui and Fugaku watched in horror as the flames ignited his body fat and oils and sizzled his flesh. He let out a terrifying scream as he was cooked alive from the inside out, his back arched and he bellowed at the sky.

A putrid odor that would forever be remembered by their olfactory nerves reeked form the human matchstick. Shisui, no longer able to take anymore, performed the appropriate hand signs. Aware of his intentions Fugaku held up a hand to stop him.

"It won't make a difference."

Shisui contemplated that for a moment before another bone chilling screech interrupted him.

"With all due respect, Fugaku," he finished the last of the signs, "you don't know that."

His chest swelled up before he released a torrent of water forward knocking the screaming man to the ground. The water popped and fizzled as it evaporated from the flames only managing to douse marginally before they reignited themselves.

Shisui had no choice, but to watch as the fire turned a person into ash. He couldn't imagine the pain he must have felt before his body finally gave out on him and died. He fell to the ground with a wet, heavy sound and lay there. His mind boggled as he tried to figure out why someone would set themselves on fire.

As he and Fugaku waited for the flames to finish their work and destroy the body completely. They were oblivious to the black mass that was watching them from above.

He watched as his former partner became nothing more than dust. It was a last resort activated by a seal placed on their bodies by their leader. It was only to be employed if a field agent felt capture or death was imminent.

The technique was used by the ANBU Black ops as well to ensure their body was not recovered by enemy forces. If he had the emotional capacity he would have noticed the irony.

With no fuel left to feed it the azure flames soon died down. Torune took his leave.

Danzo would definitely want to hear this. He left his perch atop a roof and began to move through the path that would lead him back to ROOT headquarters. The route to the underground hub consisted of many twist and turns throughout the village that led to nowhere. This was by order of Danzo to throw off any potential tails.

After passing the same landmark for the fourth time he decided no one was watching him and landed gracefully in an alley. It was trashy in the literal sense with many pieces of filth covering the alleyway in a blanket of uncleanliness. The large green trash can spewed fumes that would turn the stomach of anyone who wasn't a hobo looking for a meal or someone as detached as him.

He waded through beer bottle, sludge, and other unmentionable until he hit a solid wall.

The atrium was a vast dome shaped room with three levels of floors. Four stretches of metallic walkways, positioned at the four cardinal directions, led into a colossal trunk of an unearthly tree that was extended far into the air and ground.

Danzo had called it one of the "pillars" of the village, but he didn't expect any of his subordinates to catch his meaning. Such was a drawback of possessing no emotion, it left you utterly colorblind to sometimes symbolic meaning of a humans words.

Though, the "pillar" he spoke of was actually a pillar. It was a limb of the gargantuan tree that had been created by the First Hokage to give birth to the Hidden Leaf Village. As he peered up at the arm he felt someone come up behind him.

"Lord Danzo." the voice said.

With so many agents it would be impossible for him to remember every single member of his organization especially since they wore their mask most of the time. Even if they didn't, their presence was often marked by blank expressions and silence which made them easily forgettable.

Still, he remembered this agent for the sole reason that he was one of his most promising emissaries. If only his partner was as efficient.

"Torune, what do you need?" he said without facing him.

He immediately fell to one knee and bowed his head submissively. It was foolish of him to think Danzo had not been aware of him.

"Lord Danzo, Fu is dead."

Danzo's face never betrayed any signs of emotions because he felt none. He was sure Torune felt or didn't feel the same way. His underlings could deliver such morbid news without even flinching even if the news involved a long standing partner of theirs.

"That is strange. I specifically told him not to attempt the capture of the Nine Tails again."

Torune raised his head as if he was going to answer then lowered it as soon as Danzo turned. He didn't expect him to answer, they only did so if Danzo told them it was acceptable. Besides' he doubted Torune understood Fu's bizarre behavior anymore than Danzo himself. In any case, it was irrelevant now.

That seal he placed on them activate a vicious fire that would destroy any trace of a body left behind so there would be no bread crumbs that could be followed back to him.

"He will need to be replaced."

Out of the shadows Torune heard footsteps approaching from behind. He looked over his shoulder and identified an adult male. He had auburn hair and amber eyes. He was also a Yamanka. He had that same bottomless look that was so common among Root members. He wondered if meeting someone as empty as themselves for the first time managed to stir up any reaction at all in their cold hearts.

Probably not.

It wasn't uncommon for Danzo to recycle members from the same clan. In case one of them was lost in battle he would have a back-up who could use the clan's special abilities.

"This will be your new partner, Torune. I expect you to be as efficient with him as the last one. His codename will also be Fu."

The recycling of the codename was nothing new. He had done it before because the use of old code-names helped to suppress individuality. It implied that in Root your name was not important only your skills and commitment.

The "official" branch of ANBU employed a similar tactic, but this step in the right direction was lessened by the other more empathic policies of the former Hokage. They were allowed to have relationships and were even encouraged to spend time outside of work. It's purpose was to ensure that one of their ninja did not become cold, heartless weapons.

Danzo held no such reserves however which allowed his program to become vastly superior to the more public-if it could be called that- face of ANBU.

"Is there anything else, Torune?"

He nodded negatively and they were then dismissed by Danzo. He returned to staring up at the pillar of the village and thinking of the past.

* * *

><p>Fugaku leaned on the wall with his arms over his chest as he waited Shisui with Cheiko. Their leads death cries had caused a host of the villagers to come outside to investigate. Shisui was now sending everyone back into their homes leaving him alone with a fussing baby and an agitated woman.<p>

"God, shut up you little monster!" she screamed.

Fugaku didn't really appreciate Naruto's wails either, but it was to be expected from an infant so he dealt with it. However he did not have to deal with the angry squawks of a full grown woman.

"Just keep yelling at him. That will definitely quiet him down." he said.

Chieko wasn't new to sarcasm, having used it herself for years, so she shot him a glare which he missed due to closing his eyes again. She puffed out her cheeks as she blew out a cloud of exasperation. Naruto continued to bombard the air waves with his incessant whining.

"You have a better idea?" she balked.

Fugaku remained calm in light of her attitude, "Maybe you can try not yelling and attempt to comfort him."

Her eyes narrowed and for a minute Chieko wondered which one pissed her off more: Fugaku or the demon brat. As if she would touch that little thing in the basket without gloves on.

He let out another high pitched shout that made Chieko want to rip out her hair or stomp him quiet. Since the second option was impossible with Fugaku standing right beside her and the first would hurt and leave her with a prominent bald spot she decided on the final, but no more enjoyable third option.

She placed the basket on the ground then reached inside to pick up Naruto. For some reason she expected to feel a scaly or inhuman texture, befitting of a demon. To her disappointment her fingers sunk into his skin like he was a marshmallow. He was as light as a feather and to her awe he finally seemed to calm down a little.

His eyes were still watering and his face was still twisted, but at least he wasn't yelping like a mad dog. She held him out at arms length like he was infected or something; yet that wasn't the reason. She was at a loss basically.

She never had children of her own, feeling it was far too soon to start raising a family so she had no idea what to do now.

"Hold him close to your chest." Fugaku instructed.

He must have been staring at her ever since Naruto stopped crying. When she did not heed his instruction he imitated the proper procedure with his arms to guide her. She finally realized what he was doing and brought the baby close to her. She must have done something wrong because he started whimpering again and she was afraid he would start crying soon.

She looked at Fugaku with pleading eyes and asked the next course of action.

"Rock him, soothingly, back and forth." he added visual cues with the instruction to make it easy on her.

She nodded her head and obeyed. At first her motions were too erratic and inconsistent making Naruto start crying again. She stopped what she was doing and looked to Fugaku for answers in how to deal with it.

"Try humming to him."

Such an absurd idea almost made Chieko think he was being sarcastic again, but one look at his face made her certain that he was dead serious. She didn't see how such a thing would work but she did it anyway, not wanting to see Naruto cry anymore.

'_Wait, what?'_

She could have sworn she said she didn't want to see Naruto cry anymore, but that didn't make sense. Why should she care if a demon was bawling it's eyes out besides the fact that said crying irritated her? It was an accident obviously. She only wanted him to stop crying so she could have some peace and quiet, right?

She began to hum a soft tune that her mother did for her when she was upset. The sound vibrated in her throat tickling it ever so slightly. As it reached Naruto nothing seemed to happen until his stopped writhing and his eyes opened to reveal the blue underneath.

For a second her humming stopped. She had never seen his eyes so close and so...blue. She felt like she could stare into them for hours. He seemed so innocent. She was knocked back into the present when his face turned red again and a whine escaped from him.

She immediately went back to humming that tone again. Its melodic aria did the trick and soon Naruto was staring up at her with those eyes again. It was hypnotizing, his gaze, she didn't want to look away and felt a little sad when his eyelids began to close.

She continued to hum and rock him back and forth while he slept. His small chest rose and fell in sync with the motion of her arms. It was like a dance between the two of them, a wave rising and falling in accordance with the moon.

She didn't know how long she did this and only stopped because she heard someone come up in front of her.

"Glad, to see you two are getting along better." said Shisui.

She immediately stopped what she was doing. Chieko looked between Naruto and the grinning Uchiha having been caught in a compromising position.

"Tha-that's not true, I still don't like him." she said.

Shisui's eyebrow went up, "'Him'? Not 'it'?"

She recognized her mistake too late and was stuck looking red faced so she fell silent finding the road beneath her a safe place to look.

Shisui stared at her for a moment. Analyzing.

"Well, if you don't have a problem with it you can give him to me."

Chieko's head shot up in an instant. Her eyes were wide and she reflexively pulled Naruto closer to herself for reasons she could not understand. Shisui extended his own arms for her to give him to her and she found herself not wanting to part with the blonde haired baby. It was only after this hesitation did she finally relent and hand him over.

Her chest felt cold without him there.

"Well, you did your part, Chieko so you can expect to have your job restored to you. I'm sorry about not telling you about the masked man, but if I had you might have gotten a bit paranoid and tipped him off."

As he informed her about her old job being returned to her and apologizing about putting her life in danger she only half listened. Most of her attention was placed on the Uzumaki in his arms. She wanted to hold him some more, but knew it was impossible. Her part was done, she would never be able to have that same feelings of maternity stir in her once again.

"Ms. Yotaru?" called Fugaku

Her head jumped as if she'd awoken from a dream and she glanced at the two Uchiha. Gathering her wits she nodded.

"Yes, yes...thank you. Well, you two don't need me anymore so I'll be going."

After she said this she gave Naruto one last look and walked past them both. Soon she was out of their sight and headed home. She passed many of the stores along the way, but it was only when she came to one that had "Infants & Toddlers" written in pink lettering did she stop.

She looked at all the toys and plushie's a child could enjoy. The rattlers that would shake inconsistently with no real pattern, governed only by the whim of short arm holding it. She could practically hear the joyful sounds massaging her eardrums.

She did not know why she was thinking these things and if it was going to last. All she did know was that she liked it.

* * *

><p>Norio sat tightly with his arms crossed and legs closed. He was beginning to think this trip with Jiraiya wasn't as great as he originally thought. Twice now he'd been in placed he would have rather avoided.<p>

Well, the casino wasn't so horrible. In spite of the angry people, the ear splitting noise, and cough inducing smoke he did win loads of money. Looking around his current location he was sure that this place had no redeeming qualities. It smelled of alcohol and the people here were even more disconcerting.

Many had to be supported by another or else they waddled about like toddlers before collapsing onto the floor. Those who displayed such a lack of balance were summarily thrown out on their faces and told to never return.

Every time this happened Jiraiya would laugh which seemed to annoy his blonde teammate. Then again she had been making faces at him ever since the casino. After Jiraiya exchanged his coins for cash they left rather abruptly or at least Tsuande did and they followed.

His godfather made several attempts to stop the retreating woman, but she rebuked him every time often adding in insults with "pervert" or any of its variations being her favorites.

Through his persistence or just dumb luck he managed to convince her to join him for a drink. A brief light sparkled in her eye and she begrudgingly agreed. Ever since then they had been sitting uncomfortably in silence.

The two Sannin looked at one another in silence for over a minute now causing the two children present to grow anxious. Norio tried to avoid the two females gaze for different reasons. Tsunade because she was constantly scowling and Shizune because she always smiled when she caught his eye.

It wasn't that he didn't like the smile. To the contrary he actually enjoyed it, but whenever she did that his cheeks grew hot and he felt the urge to look away.

Eventually, he decided on staring at the pig that kept following them.

"Alright, enough of the silence, Jiraiya. Why are you here?" she finally said after losing her patience.

Jiraiya took his eyes off the passing waitress to answer Tsunade's question.

"Haven't you ever heard of foreplay, Tsunade? Gently teasing with desire before finally rewarding them with a gift of passion."

Norio saw that this time Shizune's cheeks turned pink while Tsunade only remained austere.

"What are you a writer, now?" she spat.

Jiraiya grinned a goofy grin as he stroked his chin. He obviously took that last statement as a compliment even though it was laced with bitterness.

"It's a line from one of the novels I plan on having published. What do you think?"

Tsunade huffed and sat back in her seat crossing her arms over her chest. As she did so she gave Jiraiya a more focused look as if she was expecting him to do something. He only responded with open palms and a nervous smile.

"I think you should stick to being a ninja," she smirked, "You are still a ninja, right?"

Jiraiya chuckled lightly to himself and gave her a fake applause.

"A joke, ladies and gentlemen, we actually get to hear one from the great Tsunade."

Tsunade didn't seem to share his sense of humor as her frown only deepened before fading behind a wall of stoicism. Her green eyes traveled away from Jiraiya down to Norio. He quickly averted his eyes back to the pig hoping she didn't catch him staring.

He took a chance to look up again, but found her still staring at him.

"What's up with the kid? Don't tell me he's yours."

Normally Norio would have rejected this assumption but found his tongue paralyzed at the moment. He felt Jiraiya's hand on top of his head making him look up a little and then grimaced as his hair was ruffled.

"You mean you don't recognize him? I mean, you did help deliver him. It was one of the last things you did before you left the village."

Both Tsunade's and Norio's eyes grew larger than their original length. Norio had never known who helped in his birth because it was never a concern to his six year old brain. Seeing who had a hand in welcoming him into this world however made him feel...disappointed. He never would have thought that his mother would allow a woman like her to be her midwife.

"They let you take care of him? I expected more from Kushina and Minato."

Jiraiya and Norio's faces showed profound sadness at the mention of the two. For Jiraiya, it only manifested as a micro-expression but Norio's features remained pulled down by his feelings. He turned his head away from the group and stared at the wall. He didn't seem to notice when Jiraiya removed his hand from his head and clasped them together.

They covered his mouth and his lips tightened.

"Minato and Kushina are dead. The Kyubi killed them."

The conversation came to a screeching halt as Shizune and Tsunade absorbed the new information. There faces changed several times as they processed the reality of it all before they finally seemed to accept the fact that the Fourth Hokage and his wife were dead.

Norio already knew the news so his reaction to it wasn't as profound. It still cut deep though hearing someone repeat it to him again. He knew he would never get over the fact of their deaths, but he had thought he would have built up an emotional wall to some degree. Then again, he wasn't sure e wanted to. If he did wouldn't he look back on his parent's and feel nothing?

That thought scared him.

"You still haven't told me why you're here." she said perhaps trying to change the subject.

Jiraiya paused before he answered.

"Well, there are a lot of people injured from the attack, Norio being one of them. With your expertise you could save a lot of lives."

Tsunade stared over at Norio's arm. It was the first time she actually paid it any attention. The tightly woven bandages told her he suffered from either a serious burn or infection perhaps both if he was unlucky. The sling suggested that he couldn't use his right arm or had trouble using it.

"Is that all?" she pressed.

Jiraiya smiled nervously and showed his palms then wiped his dry nose. A sign of submission.

"Um...look there are our drinks." he avoided.

His not-so-casual diversion did not seem to impress Tsunade, Norio observed. By the time their drinks had been placed down she was no longer thirsty. She continued to stare as Jiraiya tipped the waitress, a pretty young woman.

"You never change." she said.

Jiraiya frowned in confusion trying his best to appear innocent. Too bad she had a reliable BS meter.

"What? That was way more than I usually tip." he defended seemingly forgetting his own perversion.

"I'm not talking about that. You show up and act all cryptic while you ask for a favor. What is it you want Jiraiya?"

Shizune gave her a soothing look but it was ignored. Norio looked a little worried at how much louder her voice had gotten. Jiraiya was still acting oblivious as he grabbed his drink.

"Tsunade, I'm telling you that's all. With so many people hurt you'd be a real asset." he brought the cup to his face, "That and sensei wants you to take over as Hokage."

He then downed the alcohol in one go. He said the last part so fast Norio barely understood it, but Tsunade seemed to hear every syllable.

"What?" she almost yelled, banging her fists on the table.

"What?" Jiraiya parroted much more gently, with feigned innocence.

"Don't play games with me!" she demanded, "What was that about me being Hokage!"

He scratched his head dumbly as his eyes swung from one end of the room to the other. He finally put his hands on the desk and blew out a large breath. He looked at Tsunade seriously.

"Ooooohh...that part. Well, you see Sarutobi-sensei is getting older and he's already served his duty to the village as a Kage. Don't you think he deserves a break?"

Norio began to wonder if Jiraiya had actually thought of what he was going to say to Tsunade or whether he had just improvised. It certainly seemed like the latter given the fact of his blabbering and the rate at which he was consuming alcohol now.

And what about Tsunade? What did she think? Did she feel honored to be selected to be the Fifth Hokage? Did she even want to? Her face was as blank as a new chalk board making Norio all the more anxious.

"Forget it." she said finally, "Only a fool would want the job of Hokage."

Norio felt the urge to clean out his ears. Did she just say what he thought she said? "Only a fool would want to be Hokage?" She couldn't possibly mean that could she? Nearly everyone who wanted to be a ninja respected the position even if they had no aspirations to become the leader of the village. Yet, here she was basically disrespecting the title on a whim saying it was a position only fit for a jester.

If she felt that way about Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen he could only wonder what she felt about his father. At that thought he suddenly found himself disliking this woman who he had no opinion of earlier beyond the scary looks she gave.

"Is that what you really think?" Jiraiya asked

Norio felt like punching his godfather. How could he just sit there all collected when she had just insulted Norio's father, and his pupil? She hadn't outright said it, but it was the principle.

"Without a doubt. Every Hokage gives their heart and soul for the village only to end up where?" she didn't wait for an answer to the rhetorical question, "In the ground. It's a wonder Sarutobi sensei survived as long as he did. Only an ignoramus would wear that silly hat."

The second insult, even though Norio didn't understand it, stung just as much as the first. It was official, he did not like this woman. She may look pretty, but he could see that on the inside she was as ugly as they come. His mind was so bubbling with fury he didn't even notice when he stood up and glowered at her.

For a minute he just stood there boring a hole through that diamond-like mark on her forehead. His fist was clenched so hard he was sure his knuckles were white. He wanted to say something to her, anything at all. As teeth sawed together he envisioned using some of those colorful words his mother told him never to say even though she used them if she was angry.

But nothing came out. He just stood there shaking in fury as he tried to mentally coerce himself into speaking his mind for once. He needed to, for his father's sake.

He didn't. He turned on his heels and then he ran. He jostled a few people along the way, but otherwise did not stop until he was out the door.

"What's his problem?"

Jiraiya only raised his brow and whispered, "I wonder."

Norio ran with no idea where he was going, but he needed to get away from that lady. No, actually he wanted to go back, but he knew he couldn't. He hated her for what she said about his father by extension. He wanted to shout at her that she was wrong! That his father was not a fool by any stretch of the imagination.

Then why hadn't he? Why didn't he sock her right in the jaw and tell her she was wrong? He knew why and he didn't want to admit it.

He was afraid. He was a six year old who hadn't even entered the academy and she was a Sannin. Someone who had been a ninja longer than he'd been alive. That's what he kept telling himself while he ran, it helped him feel better.

It didn't help though because in his heart of hearts he knew. He knew he was a coward. Just like the time he ran from that man in the mask.

Mask. That mask. Thoughts of that man actually made his anger amplify. It was his fault that his parents were dead in the first place. No...it wasn't.

It was Norio's fault. If he didn't run and fought instead his dad might not have been distracted and could have taken the guy out easy. It was because of his weakness that he lost his family. Just like now.

He was running, but he didn't know where to. So, why was he running? It wouldn't solve anything. Tsunade would still go unpunished about her comment towards his father unless...unless he stood his ground and fought for his family's honor.

He stopped his locomotive like motion beside a tree. He had run all the way out of town and stood before a tall oak on the outskirts of town. He looked upwards into the emerald leaves that rustled softly in the wind. His eyes followed the spindly branches that stretched out until eventually he fell on the broad trunk that supported the entire thing.

His mother once told him that tree's could live for a very long time. He wondered what it endured. All the frost, sleet, rain, and wind that pounded it over the years and it was still there. Here was this tree standing tall against the elements and he couldn't even stand up to an obnoxious blonde.

Not anymore.

'_I'm not running away_.' he thought.

Tsunade walked out of the tavern with Shizune, TonTon and Jiraiya not far behind. She took a step on the ground but misjudged the distance to the earth and stumbled forward. Shizune held out her hands but the Sannin caught herself before the assistance came.

She sniffled and looked up at the starry night. So many twinkling stars all shiny and mobile. When did the moon start shaking? She turned slowly to the two people behind her almost losing her balance again before she righted herself.

"Lady Tsunade, you should take it easy. You had a lot-"

Shizune's words became a amalgam of incoherence as her syllables blended together into a verbal soup. She heard what she was saying, but then she didn't hear. She noticed the shaky Jiraiya behind her shake his head from side to side without uttering a word.

She knew that look and what it meant. She must have gone a little overboard with the drinks. She felt her cheeks, they were a bit warm and she guessed flushed. Still, screw him.

Appearing out of nowhere and expecting her to become Hokage? After not speaking to her for years? Who did he think he was...a Sannin or something?

She let out a tipsy sound that would have to pass for a laugh. She was tired and wanted to lay down. They probably had enough money left from today's ventures...probably. They could rent a room and let her sleep off this buzz.

"Let's go Shiz-"

She stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. They were too light to be an adult's or teenagers so she thought of a small child. Soon a dark silhouette brightened to reveal a boy with black spiky hair come barreling towards them.

As he skidded to a halt she had to focus to register his features. He looked pissed. His nose was flared and his face red. He was breathing a bit heavily, but that could be attributed to the running.

Most of all however she noticed that look in his eye. It was wild and volatile like he was holding back a torrent of negativity behind those eyes. He looked primed to rip someones head off and it was all directed at her.

"What's that look for kid?" she asked slurring the end slightly.

Norio bared his teeth like a wild animal ready to rip its prey limb from limb.

"You!" he screamed.

Tsunade could tell that this was no joke, but that didn't stop it from being any less funny. Following her initial shock she began to cackle at Norio's order. She probably carried on a lot longer than was sensible, but the alcohol kept the laughter pouring out. Her face got as red as Norio's as she began to choke.

"Shut up!" he ordered.

His brow was knitted in a tight bow and his one good arm shuddered in rage. A growl came from him that reminded Tsunade of a puppy who was being teased too much by his master.

Her laughter stopped just short of her gasping for air. She erected her back and hardened her features. Her green eyes met his blue ones and she saw it. That look he gave her in the tavern before he ran off. Where had she seen it before?

"Look, kid...what's your problem, huh? What is this all about? An apology, is that what you want?"

She was still slightly drunk but this kid's attitude was seriously ruining it for her. Now she could feel her own agitation fight off the drink coursing through her system and her head began to clear up ever so slightly.

"You insulted my father!" he pointed an accusatory finger that failed to affect Tsunade. "How come you can call him a fool when all he did was help out, he always thought about the village and the people in it. While you're too scared to even lend a hand! You're nothing but a coward!"

This made something inside Tsunade snap. All his other ramblings were easily brushed aside, but his accusation of her being a coward made her blood boil. She hardened her features and gave him a square look.

Norio stood shaking, but not from fear like she had expected but from rage. He was really bent on...something.

"So, you really want to do this?"

Norio didn't answer instead dropping into a stance that looked incomplete due to his one arm. She scoffed at his bravado and preceded to remove her jade coat. It fluttered in the air until it descended over TonTon draping the pig.

She heard Shizune behind her.

"Lord Jiraiya, aren't you going to stop this?" she pleaded.

Her ears perked up at this. She was curious. Would Jiraiya step in to save his godson? She hadn't had a good fight in a long time and being only partially sober she was itching a little to cut loose.

"It can't be helped." he said and Tsunade was about to become deaf to the conversation when Jiraiya said, "You see that look in Norio's eye? That's the same look his father got when he was about to try something crazy. There's nothing I or anything else anyone can do to stop him now."

Tsunade turned to mock him on his willingness to let a six year old fight a Sannin, but only got halfway when a shuriken whizzed past her face. She managed to dodge it, the weapon ripping through the cloth entrance of the tavern. A few screams and the sound of dishes crashing to the floor joined them outside.

Norio didn't seem worried about collateral damage however as he advanced on Tsunade. He applied pressure to his muscles as he prepared to jump into the air to deliver a flying kick, but Tsunade was faster than his muscle response.

Before he could blink she was on him with her pinky extended. It flicked him in the forehead and he saw white. He went tumbling across the ground until he lost his momentum and came to a halt.

He came up on one knee and felt his throbbing skull. His face was a mix of confusion and irritation. No doubt he was wondering how a simple finger flick could send him so far backwards. Tsunade waggled her finger knowingly to tease him.

Norio let out that growl again as he attacked her. His movements were erratic and untamed, he let his emotions run wild. Even though Tsunade was slightly intoxicated she wasn't the least bit troubled. It probably had a lot to do with fighting a six year old,, but she didnt' think that way. Experience had thought her never to let her emotions get the best of her.

His punches were sloppy, exposing holes in his defense. His kicks were not much better either. It was like he was just striking hoping he'd get lucky. Well, he'd get something alright.

Her pinky came down on the top of his head sending him into a face plant. He didn't' move and Tsunade assumed that had done the trick. She stared at his unmoving form just observing him. She looked up at Shizune.

"Let's go. He's done."

Tsundae turned to leave when a hand shot out and grabbed her by the ankle. She looked down to see Norio's dirty face staring back up at her with that same look. She couldn't understand what made him so determined. Why did he keep trying to fight?

"What's your deal, kid? What are you trying to prove?"

Norio breathed out heavily several times before he answered kicking up small clouds of dust.

"Nothing." he took several more breathes, "You don't deserve to talk about...the kage's like that. I want you...to apologize."

His arrogance still shocked her. Who did he think he was? He was just some snot-nosed kid of a past Hokage and he thought that made him obliged to just jump up and defend their honor?

Tsunade knelt down in front of him and returned his intense glare with a curious one.

"Why do you care so much about the Hokage title? Don't tell me you want to be it when you grow up? It's a lost cause kid, you'd be better off just settling as a ninja."

Her discouraging words seemed to fall on deaf ears. In fact they might have had the opposite effect as Norio slammed his fist onto the ground defiantly and spoke to her with such vigor in his voice that she thought he was still ready to fight.

"It's not about that! I...I'm always running away whenever it gets hard, but I...can't do that anymore. My brother...Naruto he needs me! If I can't even stand up to someone like you how am I supposed to be there for him?"

His words shocked her for more than the fact that he had a brother she didn't know about. It seemed Minato wasn't as girly as she thought. Still, what he said seemed to strike a cord in a heart she thought had grown cold long ago. When he spoke it wasn't like a kid with a dream that he would forget about in the next five minutes. No he was dead serious about this.

His devotion certainly did remind her of Minato, but of someone else as well. Nawaki, perhaps?

She smirked at him before reaching down and grabbing him by the collar of his neck.

"All right, kid, I'll humor you. You see this necklace?" she pointed to the aquamarine gem attached around a spaghetti string tied around her neck and descending down towards breasts he was too young to oogle. She dropped him to the ground making him land on his butt.

"If you can take this off my neck, not only will I apologize, but I'll go back with you and the pervert to the village. However, if I win you and the lech have to leave and never bother me again with this Hokage nonsense." she explained ignoring Jiraiya's facial responses to her nicknames.

She held out her hand to seal the deal. She never expected him to agree. This little display should be enough to dispel any thoughts of him being able to outmaneuver and most definitely out fight her in any way. She wasn't betting on Norio being so dense that he couldn't recognize the obvious.

He took her hand in his and delivered as firm a handshake as possible without super strength.

"Deal."

* * *

><p>Whoop! I'm done. I wanted to get this chapter out earlier, but procrastination is a real b***. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As always I'm listening to what you say in your reviews and would definitely like to thank one reviewer for pointing out a flaw in my plans for Norio I myself considered, but overlooked.<p>

You know who you are and I'm pretty sure everyone else can figure out who too because I have so little reviews. *sighs* Oh well, I don't write for those anyway. Comments, questions, and critiques are welcome. Signing off and good night!


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